MALAPPURAM: State Health Minister K.K. Shylaja has sought report from the Malappuram district medical officer on the mass absence of doctors from the duty at the District Hospital in Tirur. On Saturday, there were only two doctors in duty instead of the assigned six in the out-patient (OP) section to service around 1,100 patients. Four doctors had gone on leave without prior notice.
The DMO Dr. V. Ummer Farook has sought explanation from the superintendent of the hospital. "We have asked for clarification from the doctors who skipped the duty and reply will be submitted to the minister on Monday," DMO said. Patients have been complaining about the recurring absence of doctors in the OP department in the hospital.
On Saturday, hundreds of patients, most of them with fever, had to wait for hours for the consultation at the OP. For the past few months, gynecology OP has not been functioning. The only doctor in the department has no service in the OP.
