Thiruvananthapuram: The LDF government’s decision on starting MBBS courses at the newly set up medical college at the general hospital this year, has been widely welcomed by doctors of health service department.
The Kerala Government Medical Officers Association (KGMOA) said the decision to convert the general hospital, Women and Children Hospital Thycaud into a medical college was taken in a haste by the previous government. Both institutions were more than 100 years old and should be retained in the health services. Besides, the Thycaud hospital was among the few government hospitals to have received the NABH accreditation.
The health services doctors said the three tier health system in the state was functioning under primary health centres, taluk-district-general hospitals and government medical colleges. Converting general hospitals into medical colleges would upset the entire health sector.
According to KGMOA there was not even a single super speciality hospital under the state health services. Super speciality facilities which were currently available only to the affluent sections of the society should be made available in general hospitals as well. The new building could be used for that purpose.While there were enough MBBS doctors in the state, the shortage was mainly in the super speciality category and this could be addressed through such measures.
The doctors association pointed out that the state government had recently taken over ESI medical college at Paripally. There was shortage of doctors and staff in that hospital. If the doctors and staff allotted to new medical college in Thiruvananthapuram, Konni and Idukki were posted at Paripally medical college, the government could easily create an institution with 100 to 150 MBBS seats.
