Ernakulam Medical College patients allege ill-treatment

Kochi: A few  patients at the Ernakulam Government Medical College  Hospital have alleged ill-treatment at the hands of the staff and higher authorities of the hospital, though the principal has denied it.  They say that accident victims are denied admissions to the casualty forcing them to go to private hospitals.

“When the taxi drivers in the area staged a protest against this, the hospital authorities  intervened and directed  the staff to admit such persons,” said a patient from  Eloor, who preferred anonymity.

Even those below 18 years of age who are supposed to get free treatment under the Arogyakiranam project of the state government are denied it at the hospital.

“Most of the patients who come in this bracket have to buy medicines from outside  and get essentials like thermometer and syringes. Those admitted have to buy bed sheets. Some of the house surgeons and those in the hospital management are also behaving badly  to the patients and bystanders,” said the patient.

The situation escalated recently when a pneumonia-affected six-year-old child was discharged from the paediatric ward when  its blood culture result was awaited.

Following protest,  the authorities readmitted the child in the Intensive Care Unit.

However, EMC principal Dr Aswini Kumar said that he had not received any complaints from the patients or bystanders in this regard.

“The case of the child was brought to my notice, but in that case also no specific written complaint came to me. It is understood that the parents of the child over-reacted  and the house surgeons also orally complained about the behaviour by the child’s relatives. It is not fair to generalise things,” said Dr Aswini Kumar.