KOTTAYAM: The Kottayam Medical College Hospital is hit by the shortage of staff, including nurses and nursing assistants. The hospital treats 1,500 inpatients and at least 2,000 outpatients daily.
The post of the principal has been lying vacant for many months and doctors from other departments have been assuming charge of the principal.
The vacant posts include one nursing officer, five nursing superintendents (grade 1) out of seven and two nursing superintendents (grade 2) out of five.
The 305 posts of nurses’ posts are inadequate considering the 6:1 patient- nurse ratio. The MCH has 304 nursing posts and only 295 posts are filled.
MCH Superintendent Dr Tiji Thomas Jacob told Deccan Chronicle that “considering the inflow of the patients, the existing staff strength is inadequate.”
MCH sources said that though new cardiology and gynaecology blocks were constructed, no new posts were created hindering the proper functioning of the hospital.
The public have also complained about the inadequate service available at the MCH. “I had taken my wife to the MCH with a bleeding in the uterus, but the staff didn’t gave us much attention. We were forced to take her to a private hospital in the town,” said Mr K. George Uthup of Meenandom who visited the MCH recently.
