304 nodal officers appointed to address deficiencies in TN Govt Hospitals
Government Hospitals
Chennai: The Tamil Nadu health department has appointed 304 nodal officers after the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) identified deficiencies in government hospitals across the state. The shortcomings included sanitation, drinking water, toilet facilities, amenities for patients and attendants, maintenance of buildings and infrastructure, security arrangements, and the availability of equipment.
The CMO's note highlighted the issues in government medical college hospitals and their attached institutions spread across 31 districts. In response, the health department issued directives to the Directorate of Medical Education and Research, the Directorate of Medical and Rural Health Services, and the Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine.
According to The Daily, district collectors have been instructed to review the deficiencies identified in hospitals under their jurisdiction and ensure that corrective measures are undertaken through district health officers, joint directors of health services, and the deans of medical institutions. They have also been directed to submit a report, along with photographs documenting the remedial actions taken.
There are reportedly only four doctors currently working in Omandurar Multi Super Speciality Hospital because the hospital lacks a postgraduate course in cardiology. The hospital caters to almost 500 to 600 cardiac patients daily with 133 ICU beds, but only 150 posts for nurses have been allotted for the entire facility, and more posts need to be created to handle the extreme pressure on the workforce.
Staff at Government Hospital for Women and Children, Egmore, are creating different kinds of nuisances as ward boys and watchmen who were hired through private contracts are not properly trained, and some are reportedly indulging in alcohol and ganja inside the campus areas in the evenings. The report stated that female outsourced workers in maternity wards are permitted to remain in the same posting for extended periods, which has resulted in rampant bribery and exploitation of patients, reports The New Indian Express.
At Government Kilpauk Medical College Hospital, the shortage of equipment means only 3 to 4 patients can undergo an MRI scan daily. As a result, emergency cases are frequently referred to other hospitals for urgent imaging. Housekeeping and security staff often ask for bribes ranging from Rs 50 to Rs 500 from patients. Maternity ward staff even ask for money at the birth of a child, depending on the sex of the child, and mortuary workers demand up to Rs 2,000 from grieving families to give them the bodies, reports The Daily.
Ward staff at Royapettah government hospital responsible for moving patients or taking them for scans often take bribes of Rs 30 to Rs 500, even accepting payments online if cash is unavailable. Due to the workforce crunch, employees work up to 12 hours a day, leading to mental breakdown, the note said.
Quality healthcare and treatment facilities are being compromised at Government Stanley Medical College Hospital due to the scarcity of doctors and nurses. Employees are reportedly accepting bribes from patients to transfer them to diagnostic centres or wards, and unauthorised payments are also being collected at scanning facilities, labs, and the mortuary. Staff shortage is almost similar at Government Medical College Hospital, Ooty, where only 51 of the sanctioned 128 medical and technical personnel are employed currently.
At Tiruvallur Government Medical College Hospital, paramedical staff across the district routinely refuse to bandage or do dressing to accident wounds until patients pay them a bribe of Rs 20 to 50. Chengalpattu Medical College Hospital expanded from 450 beds to 1,286, but in comparison, the number of doctors increased from 33 to 38. The note further added that there is an imminent need to hire new doctors to ensure quality healthcare.
