KOCHI: Despite the fiat from Health Minister K.K. Shailaja the other day to the authorities of the Ernakulam Government Medical College (EGMC) that one of the closed operation theatres at the EGMC should be opened for use by the Kochi Cancer Research Centre (KCRC), red-tapism is creeping in to block it. According to sources, the EGMC principal and medical superintendent are shying away from signing an MoU between EGMC and KCRC for enabling the use of the operation theatre by KCRC.
“The EGMC superintendent has now slapped a list of equipment worth Rs 44 lakh on the KCRC for purchase for use in the operation theatre. He has said that the MoU can be signed only if the equipment is provided. KCRC has to approach Kerala Medical Service Corporation Limited through the special officer of the centre, the Ernakulam district collector, to purchase it. The purchase will take two-three months and thus the signing of the MoU too will be delayed further and KCRC doctors will be able to use the operation theatre only after that,” said an official of KCRC.
When contacted, the EGMC medical superintendent Dr Anilkumar said that MoU is only a formality and the doctors at the KCRC can use the operation theatre at any time. “But the MoU can be signed only when the equipment are brought by the KCRC to the operation theatre. They should also find the personnel to be deployed in the operation theatre,” Dr Anilkumar said.
However, a KCRC official said that the initial MoU agreed by the principal of EGMC and medical superintendent of KCRC and approved by the collector was altered by the EGMC medical superintendent to include fresh lists which complicated things. “The attitude of the EGMC officials should change for the collaboration between EGMC and KCRC to work. Even after the Health Minister ordered to open the operation theatre, they are citing technicalities while many personnel are idling at the medical college,” said Dr N.K. Sanil Kumar, leader of the Justice V.R. Krishna Iyer Movement.
