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The Hindu
3 days ago
- Health
- The Hindu
Political dispensation expresses dissatisfaction over doctor's post
The events set in motion by a Facebook post by Harris Chirackal, Head of the Department of Urology at the Thiruvananthapuram Government Medical College Hospital, on systemic issues affecting patient care seemed to escalate on Wednesday with the political dispensation expressing its dissatisfaction over the manner in which the doctor's post had put the State's health system on the dock. Dr. Chirackal responded that his Facebook post was only meant to point out systemic issues which needed correction. He pointed out that the fact that the purchase procedures were fast-tracked by the administration and that stalled procedures could be resumed within a day in Urology Unit 1 was proof enough that it was wilful neglect at various levels that delayed the procurement of the accessories. The Kerala Government Medical College Teachers' Association (KGMCTA), while affirming their support for Dr. Chirackal, has chosen to stay away from the narrative that the State's public sector hospitals were on the verge of collapse. The KGMCTA has instead used the controversy to draw the government's attention to the infrastructural, administrative and human resource deficiencies in medical college hospitals that needed immediate correction. Meanwhile, the report of the four-member committee instituted by the government to look into the issues raised by Dr. Chirackal is awaited. Ekbal's post A Facebook post on Wednesday by former neurosurgeon and former Vice-Chancellor of Kerala University B. Ekbal on the issue is right on point. He pointed out that while the government had focussed on building infrastructure and acquiring sophisticated diagnostic devices for public hospitals, similar attention was not given to the modernisation of the administrative processes in these hospitals. Though the facilities in public sector hospitals had grown, no attention seemed to have been given to improving the efficiency of the system, he said. Dr. Ekbal said that the current rules governing the purchase of equipment and medicines, especially that relating to emergency procurement, needed timely revision. The financial powers of medical college Principals and Superintendents needed to be increased. Lack of administrative skills He said that entrusting the administration of huge hospitals to clinicians/faculty who had no expertise in administration was the main issue affecting the efficiency of public sector hospitals. 'Hospital administration is a separate entity in itself, which calls for specialised skills. Modern hospitals are today run by persons who have acquired specialised qualifications in hospital administration and not by doctors. The State should start its own short-term hospital administration courses with the help of the Kerala University of Health Sciences and only doctors who secure hospital administration skills should be given the responsibility of running hospitals,' he wrote. Dr. Ekbal also pointed out that it was a serious issue that the human resources in public hospitals—doctors, nurses and support staff —had never been on par with the growth of the institutions. The government should prioritise appointment of more faculty and staff in public sector hospitals in stages so that service delivery was not affected, he said.
The Hindu
4 days ago
- Health
- The Hindu
Surgeries resume in Thiruvananthapuram MCH's Urology department
Surgeries and procedures which had been stalled in Unit 1 of the Urology department of the Thiruvananthapuram Government Medical College Hospital (MCH) since June 27, because of the dearth of some accessories of Lithoclast machine, resumed on Tuesday. The procedures could be resumed after the authorities stepped in to fast track the purchase of the machine's probe and ensured that it was made available at the hospital on Tuesday. Surgical procedures at the Urology department had come to a standstill after the purchase process for the Lithoclast machine's probe through the hospital development society had been inordinately delayed. Facebook post The stalling of the procedures had made headlines after the Head of the Urology department, Haris Chirackal, penned in his Facebook page on June 27 his disappointment and shame over having to cancel surgeries at the eleventh hour, putting patients to difficulty. The social media post also spoke about the funds squeeze in the MCH and how patients ended up buying accessories for various equipment on their own just so that the surgeries took place as planned. Dr. Chirackal's post had stirred up a hornet's nest with the Opposition quick to accuse the government of allowing public health to wither away. The Health Minister, who was forced to acknowledge the systemic issues which affected patient care adversely in public sector hospitals, also set up a four-member committee to enquire into the issues that Dr. Chirackal raised. Kerala Government Medical College Teachers' Association (KGMCTA), which came out in support of Dr. Chirackal, said that the government had for long been ignoring the doctors' complaints about infrastructure inadequacies and shortage of human resources which were affecting patient care services in public sector hospitals. Holds protest The KGMCTA on Tuesday observed the Doctors' Day as a day to protest against the government's neglect of the long-standing issues raised by the organisation, including non-payment of pay revision arrears to medical college faculty and the government's refusal to appoint adequate faculty in medical colleges. The KGMCTA organised protest marches to all government medical colleges across the State. Meanwhile, the Congress, which has been launching scathing attacks against the Health department's inefficiency, organised marches to all government medical colleges across the State. K.C. Venugopal, MP, who inaugurated the protest march at Pariyaram Government Medical College Hospital, demanded that the government take immediate steps to resolve the issues of equipment and staff shortage in public hospitals. The BJP also marched to the Thiruvananthapuram Government Medical College Hospital on Tuesday raising similar demands. Former BJP State president K. Surendran accused the government of neglecting public hospitals, thus forcing people to approach the private health sector for care, pushing up out of pocket expenditure.
The Hindu
4 days ago
- Health
- The Hindu
LDF govt. more concerned about PR campaigns than attending to Health sector: Shafi Parambil
Shafi Parambil, Congress MP, has alleged that the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government is ignoring government medical college hospitals in the State because they are 'addicted to public relations campaigns'. He was opening a protest meeting outside the Government Medical College Hospital, Kozhikode, against the various problems affecting the healthcare sector in the State. Mr. Shafi alleged that the government was also helping the 'private hospital lobby' by neglecting medical college hospitals. He claimed that the rights of patients for medical care were being curtailed. Mr. Shafi demanded that the government cut down its expenditure on PR campaigns and use the funds for patients' welfare. Highlighting the recent social media post by C.S. Haris, Head of the Department of Urology at the Government Medical College Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram, about the lack of availability of surgical devices and equipment, Mr. Shafi alleged that even a Left sympathiser like him could not hide his disappointment over the state of affairs at the facility. Meanwhile, members of the Kerala Government Medical College Teachers' Association (KGMCTA) organised a protest meeting on National Doctors' Day on Tuesday (July 1), raising various demands. Opening the protest, C.S. Aravind, KGMCTA State secretary, said that the doctors in government medical colleges were disappointed with the current situation and called for urgent reforms in the sector. The doctors raised demands such as the creation of more posts of medical teachers in view of the rising number of patients, a clear definition of their working hours, and a halt to the temporary transfers of doctors, citing inspections by the National Medical Commission and the Kerala University of Health Sciences.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
Implants arrive, surgeries resume at T'puram MCH
1 2 3 4 5 T'puram: Surgical equipment reached Thiruvananthapuram medical college hospital (MCH) on Tuesday and surgeries resumed right from morning, four days after Dr Haris Chirackal raised the shortage of implants in the urology department, triggering a widespread discussion. Urological devices, such as LithoClast used for breaking kidney stones, were delivered to the hospital from Hyderabad. Dr Haris said the shortage was brought to authorities' attention in March. It is learned the hospital authorities gave the purchase order only on June 19. Health minister Veena George intervened following Dr Haris's social media post and asked officials concerned to procure the equipment as several surgeries were postponed, according to Dr Haris. Kerala Govt Medical College Teachers Association (KGMCTA) observed a protest day in all MCHs across the state, urging the govt to intervene in settling the crisis faced by the hospitals. "As the world celebrated Doctors' Day, the situation in Kerala is such that doctors in the medical education sector are forced to protest on the streets," said KGMCTA state president Dr T Rosnara Beegum. KGMCTA protested against the lack of infrastructure development at govt medical colleges and against withholding doctors' benefits. Patient care and medical education in the state's medical colleges are in disarray at present, according to Beegum. She demanded the situation be changed and that infrastructure development completed in time. Although salary arrears have been paid to other govt employees in the state, it is not paid to doctors for the Jan 1, 2016-Sept 30, 2020 period, she said. Due to unresolved salary discrepancies in the entry cadre, young doctors are reluctant to join govt medical college hospitals. As a result, there is a severe shortage of doctors in govt medical college hospitals when compared to the number of patients, said Beegum. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Doctor's Day 2025 , messages and quotes!
The Hindu
5 days ago
- Health
- The Hindu
KGMCTA to launch protests on Doctors' Day
Kerala Government Medical College Teachers' Association (KGMCTA) will launch a series of protest programmes starting from National Doctor's Day on July 1 to protest against the government's indifference in resolving several long-standing issues faced by teachers in government medical colleges. KGMCTA also plans to launch a social media campaign on the same day to highlight their concerns. It has demanded the immediate payment of pending salary arrears from January 2016 to September 2020 and the correction of pay revision anomalies in the entry cadre. KGMCTA pointed out that all categories of State government employees have been paid the pay revision arrears, except the medical college faculty. It also demanded that the government take immediate steps to rectify the inadequacy of faculty posts in many government medical colleges in the State. It said that new medical colleges should be made functional only after providing adequate infrastructure and creating sufficient teaching and non-teaching posts. The government should take steps to improve the systemic shortcomings in public sector hospitals and stop blaming doctors for all that is wrong, KGMCTA said.
