No Backtracking on 24x7 Specialist Services: Keralam Health Minister
The minister said the KGMOA had not officially conveyed its opposition to the decision and asked the doctors' body to approach him directly if it had any grievances
Thiruvananthapuram: Keralam Minister K Muraleedharan on Sunday said the government would not backtrack on its decision to introduce round-the-clock specialist services in district and general hospitals.
He also expressed displeasure over the Kerala Government Medical Officers' Association raising concerns about the plan.
"The government will go ahead with the decisions announced. There will be no change in that. We will meet the requirements in this regard. Around 140 doctors have already been appointed," the state Health minister told reporters here.
He said the government would provide the doctors and other staff required to implement the scheme.
The minister said the KGMOA had not officially conveyed its opposition to the decision and asked the doctors' body to approach him directly if it had any grievances.
"If they want to meet the minister, they can come and meet me directly. I will know about the vacancies and other issues only if they inform me. Such matters need not be learnt through newspapers," he said.
"There is no need to issue statements every day. They can meet me directly and explain what they need," Muraleedharan added.
The KGMOA had on Thursday welcomed the government's plan to introduce 24x7 specialist services in district and general hospitals within six months but said new posts were needed to implement it effectively.
The organisation had warned that redeploying existing doctors to implement the scheme could affect the state's three-tier public healthcare system.
According to the KGMOA, around 800 doctor posts are vacant in the Health Department - about 300 in the specialist cadre, 476 in the general cadre and 23 in the administrative cadre.
It had pointed out that several district and general hospitals have only three or four specialist doctors in some departments, and said their staffing could not be compared with that of medical colleges, where departments may have around 100 doctors - faculty, senior residents and junior residents combined.
It called for the immediate creation of new specialist posts and the appointment of postgraduate-qualified assistant surgeons to ensure proper shift and stay-duty arrangements.
It had urged the government to hold discussions with the association and consider the practical difficulties faced by doctors and hospitals before implementing the scheme.
