Uncertainty over completion of super-specialty block at Ernakulam Medical College Hospital

Kochi: The completion of the super-specialty block of the Ernakulam Government Medical College Hospital is still uncertain due to a major delay in the construction work.

Works related to mechanical, electrical, plumbing (MEP), and super-specialty departments are far away from being touched.

The foundation stone for the block was laid in 2019, nearly 3 years ago and still, now the work has not yet been completed whereas the deadline of the project was in December 2020. Earlier the work was on hold due to pandemic situations.

In view of this, Dr. Sanil Kumar from Justice V R Krishna Iyer Movement compared the speed of the construction to that of a snail's pace. "If this continues, there is no saying when the project would be completed. Lack of super-specialty departments and an insufficient number of PG courses are also major issues that are plaguing the hospital and require immediate attention," he said.

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According to an official, the construction work of the block's MEP has been planned to be started first at the earliest, and issues regarding labour are also being sorted. The civil work at the block has been completed by nearly 75%.

The construction work of the cancer centre is also lagging at the MCH. In response, a letter was written to Health Minister Veena George by V R Krishna Iyer Movement on Monday regarding the issue and requested her help in the matter.

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Dr. Sahil told TNEI, "The minister should evaluate the progress of both the projects and take steps to speed up the works. It would bring relief to all patients especially those in central Kerala."

The residents of the city are facing huge problems as there are no specialist surgeons in various departments, including neurology, urology, pediatric and gastroenterology at the MCH. The citizens are now forced to visit private hospitals to get proper treatment. Many people have been complaining about the trauma center at the hospital being insufficient.