Kerala Govt to revise hospital staffing pattern, create more posts
K Muraleedharan
Thiruvananthapuram: To address the excessive workload on staff at government hospitals, the Kerala government has decided to revise the staffing pattern that dates back to the 1960s, Health Minister K Muraleedharan said on Tuesday.
According to the news reports, speaking after laying the foundation stone for a new critical care block at Government Medical College (GMC) Thiruvananthapuram, the minister said the Health Department would coordinate with the Finance Department to create additional posts and make fresh appointments across government hospitals, including primary health centres.
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Muraleedharan said the government will fill existing vacancies while creating additional posts simultaneously. He also said doctors’ associations had raised concerns over the decision to introduce round-the-clock speciality services in district and general hospitals, but their concerns had been resolved through discussions.
The minister further said steps were also being taken to ensure adequate availability of medicines in government hospitals and reiterated the government’s commitment to upgrading public healthcare facilities, which remain a major source of healthcare for ordinary citizens.
The new critical care block at the medical college is among 631 such facilities being established across the country under the Centre’s Pradhan Mantri-Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM) to strengthen critical-care capacity.
Spread across 36,000 sq ft and three floors, the facility is designed to provide emergency specialist treatment to critically ill patients. The building will also allow for the addition of two more floors in the future.
HLL Lifecare Limited is in charge of the project, which is expected to be completed within 18 months. The ground floor will house casualty, the maternity ward, labour-delivery-recovery units, X-ray, ultrasound scanning, and a minor operation theatre. The first floor will have a dialysis unit, isolation rooms, and various wards, while the second floor will include facilities for critical care and surgical services such as the intensive care unit, high dependency unit, and an operation theatre complex, reports the Hindu.
An administrative sanction of Rs 20.97 crore has been granted to HLL Lifecare for construction and related services. A further Rs 2.78 crore has been sanctioned to Kerala Medical Services Corporation Limited for the medical gas pipeline system, modular operation theatre furnishing and installation of medical equipment.
Meanwhile, public health activists have raised concerns over whether adequate human resources and operational funding will be available to run the new facility.
In an FB post, public health activist B. Ekbal said that the Health department should take the lead to get funds allocated in the State budget for creating human resources and for the operational expenses of the modern critical care facility, reports the Hindu.
Principal Secretary (Health) Sharmila Mary Joseph, Director of Medical Education K V Vishwanathan, Arogya Keralam Mission Director Renu Raj and senior MCH administrators were also present at the event.
