MCH to be a real referral hospital, says Minister

The State Government is proceeding with steps to ensure that the Government Medical College Hospital here remains a referral hospital and avoid the rush experienced now, so as to provide expert medical care for the needy and poor.


Informing the Assembly on the moves in view of the current practice of patients flocking the MCH without approaching local medicare institutions and adding to the rush, Health Minister V S Sivakumar said that a meeting of  people’s representatives in the district would be convened soon to chalk out a system on this score.



The grave issue of the inability of the MCH to attend to all those rushing towards it, with most of them bypassing primary health centres and community health centres, was brought to the attention of the House through a submission by Kazhakkoottam MLA M A Wahid on Thursday.


He pointed out that the MCH in the capital city is a premier health care institution which is the first one of its kind in South India. Though the MCH has ample infrastructure facilities and an eminent workforce comprising experienced doctors and paramedical staff, the heavy rush of patients, including even those with slight fever and body rashes, is derailing its functioning, he pointed out.


Wahid said that if patients were referred to the MCH in large numbers from PHCs situated in the periphery areas of Puthenthoppu, Andoorkonam, Kadakampally and the one directly under the MCH itself in the past, all such centres are mere scarecrows now with none reaching there. Most of the staff in these centres have been redeployed on the basis of  orders issued by the Health Director, he alleged.


Most of the PHCs are well-equipped with facilities for surgery and child delivery and also laboratories. Facilities worth crores of rupees are wasted as authorities look the other way and patients seem to be losing confidence and hence not keen to avail of the services from the lower level, he observed.


Sivakumar admitted that it was true that the referral nature of the MCH could not be realised, as of now. To alter the situation, the Government is thinking of augmenting the facilities in the General Hospital, Mother and Child Hospital, Pangappara Medical College unit and various PHCs around the Medical College.


“It is a grave issue. A meeting of people’s representatives will be convened shortly to look at ways for effective and optimum use of  medicare facilities provided in the public sector in the tertiary sector itself. The key to the proposals is that the MCH should re-emerge as a referral hospital,” he said.


The Minister also hoped that once the proposal before the Government for induction of 250 doctors and 580 nurses in the Health Department afresh was sanctioned, the whole system could be streamlined.


Earlier, V Sivankutty MLA, representing Nemom, made a vociferous plea through another submission for upgrading the facilities at Santhivila Taluk Government Hospital in Nemom, which is catering to an average 700-800 patients daily, but strapped with deficiency of doctors and other staff. There are only eight employees, including doctors, working in the hospital now though the sanctioned staff strength is much more. People of not only Nemom but the neighbouring Kattakkada and Kovalam areas also depend on the hospital, he said.