A plea for medical college at Ramanathapuram surfaces again

Madurai: The district of Ramanathapuram with a population of 13 lakh has been struggling with healthcare services for the past 20 years with the district headquarters hospital busy with a lot of tourist inflow. With the present state of affairs, the Health and Family Welfare Department, last week, received a notice from the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court asking it to consider a petition filed seeking the establishment of a medical college hospital with all amenities at Ramanathapuram.

The petition filed by a GG Thirumurugan, of Ramanathapuram district, said that despite repeated pleas for a medical college facility for the past couple of years, the authorities had paid no heed, though they have established healthcare facilities in other smaller districts.

The petitioner in his petition reiterated the need for a medical college with all necessary infrastructures in Ramanathapuram district.

With 300 road accidents taking place daily, the government hospital in the area attends to a footfall of 2,500 patients every day.

“The present bed strength at Ramanathapuram government hospital is 642 whereas the minimum required bed strength for a medical college is 300. There are no land constraints either to bring in a medical college hospital on Ramanathapuram government hospital premises,” the petitioner revealed to the TOI.

The reason behind the petition being submitted is that a new medical college if opened, would result in the headquarters improving in its medico-legal functioning. Despite the upgrading of the hospital to a medical college in 2015 by the state authorities, it has been functioning as a nonteaching medical college hospital.

The first bench comprising Justice C T Selvam and Justice A M Basheer Ahmed admitting the petition have adjourned the hearing to a further date, asking the respondents to come up with a suitable rejoinder.