Thiruvananthapuram: Even as the government medical college at Manjeri continues to suffer because of shortage of staff and facilities, the patients too are facing a traumatic experience. The medical college was formed after upgrading the 520-bed general hospital. Almost three years after the medical college was constituted, the institution is yet to stabilize.
According to Kerala Government Medical Officers Association (KGMOA) some of the facilities which were available in the general hospital do not exist now. Physical medicine and Rehabilitation Physiotherapy was closed down.
“Chemotherapy ward which once had ten beds and was providing treatment to a large number of cancer patients in the region, has now been shut. Pain and Palliative Care unit which too had ten beds has stopped functioning here. The patients have to avail these facilities at government hospitals in Perinthalmanna and Nilambur or private hospital,” said Dr Shamsuddin of KGMOA.
Even deliveries taking place in the hospital have come down drastically. On an average the hospital used to have 400 deliveries every month. According to the data available for May 2016, only 261 deliveries took place. The number is likely to go down further.
The hospital is also facing shortage of doctors. There are 150 odd doctors of which 54 belong to the health service department. The outpatient departments are functioning six days a week of which the DHS and DME doctors share three days each.
The doctors hope that the people of the region would get all health facilities once the new general hospital is set up in a five acre land adjacent to the TB Centre Manjeri. The general hospital turned government medical college in Thiruvananthapuram is also facing a host of problems.
Because of the lack of facilities, the government had decided not to go for MBBS admission this year. When contacted, medical college principal Dr Ashwani Kumar said the first stage of building will be completed within two to three months. The new building will have lecture halls, hostels and other facilities for students. During the second phase, the facilities in clinical side would be completed. There is still no word on appointing the required faculty for the hospital.
