Kerala:Rs. 1.1 crore released to Government Medical College, Ernakulum

Kochi: The state government in response to the Government Medical College, Ernakulam plea of staff shortage and short supply of equipment and drugs has released Rs. 1.1 crore of funds for immediate purchase for the hospital.

Though not released directly to the hospital, the funds will be handed over to the Kerala Medical Services Corporation Ltd, which in turn will make the essential drug and equipment purchases for the hospital. State immediacy is being shown to maintain the standard of the hospital.

“The government would directly invite tenders for procuring necessary items that are not in the supply list of KMSCL," informed Dr V K Sreekala, Principal, Government Medical College, Ernakulam.

According to Dr. Sreekala the shortage of staff is being looked into by immediate employing of faculty, nurses and other staff. "We will be conducting interviews to select 15 nurses within a couple of days. We expect them to join next week," she said.The Medical Council of India (MCI), had also asked the college to fill faculty vacancies to retain its recognition earlier.

Appointments in gynaecology, oncology,and forensic sciences were also made a few days earlier.

"It is reliably learnt that doctors would be appointed to fill the vacancies in community medicine, surgery, paediatrics and anatomy departments," said a doctor on condition of anonymity.

The working conditions at the hospital are at an all time low, with nurses planning to go on strike from August 15 complaining of undue favours being dolled out to their counterparts by not allotting night shifts to them. According to Dr. Sreekala, these nurses were being exempted from night duty by government orders and they would soon be writing to the government regarding the same.

The hospital though a practising health facility for the past 16 years still lacks facilities available in taluk and district hospitals. Extreme paucity of apparatus and equipment is a constant woe of the hospital staff. With one trolley and wheelchair for a ward of fifty patients, missing resuscitation kits, no oxygen masks, oxygen kits, suction apparatus, BP apparatus, nebulisation kits and en-tracheal tubes, the hospital paints a dismal picture.