Kochi: Health Minister K K Shylaja who made her maiden visit to the Ernakulam Government Medical College and the Kochi Cancer Centre OP building on Tuesday desisted from making any concrete promises on meeting the deficiencies at the former and realizing the latter. After visiting the OP building, she said that she cannot set a timeframe for opening the facility.
“The cancer centre OP cannot be open like any other OP. There have to be specialists including cancer surgeons for that. Since there is shortage of specialists across the state we will assess the situation and then decide,” Shylaja said. She queried with officials and Justice V R Krishna Iyer Movement leader Dr N K Sanil Kumar and MLA V K Ebrahim Kunju who decided to set up the cancer centre whether there existed a GO on setting up the centre.
She, however, told pressmen that there was relevance for setting up more cancer centres in the wake of more number of cancer cases reported from different parts of the state. “The Government is interested in having a cancer centre in the name of Justice V R Krishna Iyer,” she said. On the question of availing Rs 450 crore in loan from Ernakulam District Co-operative Bank for the cancer centre, she said that this has to be first taken up with the finance department for clearance and then decide.
When the house surgeons of the medical college raised the issue of setting up the cath lab and cardiology department before the visiting Minister, she said that shortage of experienced and specialists doctors was a major problem with five old medical colleges as well, and meeting these shortages including that in EMC was on the agenda of the government.
The staff at the college also raised the issue of absorption of them into government service. She also said that a special meeting will be convened soon to discuss the various issues affecting the medical college. P Rajeev Ex-MP and District Collector M G Rajamanickam were present with the minister.
PEOPLE-CENTRIC HEALTH POLICY SOON:
Earlier addressing a meet the press, the Minister said that a people-centric health policy will be formed in the state soon which will identify how best the resources in PHCs to medical colleges can be used. In order to meet the shortage of specialists, she said that those who complete PG courses should serve the public sector at least for three years. She also said that district and taluk hospitals have to be made specialists hospitals.
