KOZHIKODE: The Kozhikode Medical College Hospital has been hit by a severe shortage of nurses and nursing staff affecting activities like distribution of medicines to patients at the charted time. The hospital development committee members on Friday raised the issue before the hospital in-charge, including principal, seeking the appointment of more staff members.
The committee has also urged health department to send a special team to take stock of the existing staff strength in the hospital, especially nursing and nursing assistants. Mr V.C. Sethumadhavan, committee president, said that the hospital could not take care of patients in serious condition.
“We have also demanded urgent action to at least appoint enough nurses and nursing assistants in wards. It is mainly the patients of the wards starting from 55 to 75 that are facing difficulties. The hospital has over 170 vacancies and a similar situation is being faced by Kottaparamba Women and Children Hospital, he added.
The Intensive Care Units (ICUs) has also been hit as no posts were created though one post of staff nurse for two beds in the ICU is needed. “Administering injections and medicines to patients even in the emergency wards has been hit due to the shortage of personnel,”Mr Sethumadhavan said.
