Madras HC 'pained' over conditions in government hospitals

Madurai: The Madras High court on Wednesday voiced concern over the conditions in government hospitals and directed the state health secretary to file a report on programmes, to be taken up in a phased manner, for improving it.

It also expressed 'pain' and dissatisfaction over a report of health department officials while hearing a PIL on hospitals functioning with insufficient doctors and paramedical staff.

The report merely talked about deputation of doctors. No reason was attributed for en massé deputation of doctors,and what steps had been taken to fill vacancies at hospitals from where doctors had been deputed, a division bench of the court's Madurai bench, comprising, Justice S.Nagamuthu and Justice M.V.Muralidharan, said.

On the one hand, the government was trying to fill the vacancies of doctors as per the Medical Council of India norms, and on the other, the MCI norms were not followed for other paramedical staff including nurses.

There was shortage of equipment for dialysis at hospitals also.

Not agreeing with the view of officials that doctors were being deputed on the basis of requirements, the court said there were enough doctors and trained paramedical staff and technicians in the state who were unemployed,and they could be provided jobs at the government hospitals.

The situation in dental care wing was worse..If there were doctors..There were no lab technicians, if there were technicians,there were not laboratories, if there were laboratories there were no raw materials for filling teeth etc, the court said.

"From the report presently submitted one can see only deputation of specialists from one place to the other creating vacancy in another place.This is the state of affairs in the state which was duty bound to provide health care,a fundamental right," the court said.

The court did not expect government to provide adequate doctors, specialists and paramedical staff overnight.

"But the government should have a programme for doing the same in the years to come.Instead the officials are talking about deputation in the hospitals."

"Our heart is paining that the conditions in the government hospitals are not good and facilities inadequate and people are not getting proper health care even after the nation got independence 69 years ago," the court said. The court directed that the government should set up a

full-fledged dental unit in every district hospital. It directed the official to submit a detailed report on the programmes for improving the health service in the state.

The court had earlier directed the state principal health secretary to file a report on the present strength of doctors, nurses,and paramedical staff in government hospitals.

The PIL was filed by one C Anand Raj.

Submitting data obtained under the Right to Information Act, the petitioner said Virudhunagar district headquarters hospital and nine taluk hospitals in the district were functioning with only 99 doctors, against the sanctioned strength of 139 doctors.