Kerala Govt Doctor Slams Poor Conditions at Medical College After Patient’s Death
Thiruvananthapuram: A senior government doctor on Saturday slammed the circumstances surrounding the recent death of a heart patient who allegedly did not receive proper treatment at the state-run Government Medical College Hospital here. Dr Haris Chirakkal, Head of the Urology Department of the hospital, described the death of the patient, Kollam native Venu, as “unfortunate” and “painful”.
Chirakkal, who recently pointed out the shortage of surgical equipment and delays in procedures at the medical college, said Venu was laid on the floor of the hospital. While speaking at a program here, he said, “How can a patient be laid down? How can treatment be done this way? Laying patients down is uncivilized.”
The doctor said more patients were forced to lie on the floor at the government medical college than when he joined the institution as a student in 1986. He said it was painful to learn that the patient had to travel a long distance to get treatment at the hospital.
If such situations continue, establishing medical colleges across the state will be of no use, he said, adding that there is an urgent need for tertiary care centers with super specialty standards.
The death of Venu, who was being treated for a heart ailment at the Government Medical College Hospital here, had led to allegations of medical negligence from his family.
While the hospital’s medical chief denied the family’s allegations, the Congress-led UDF opposition blamed the state government and Health Minister Veena George for the death on Wednesday night.
In a recent Facebook post, Chirakkal had stated that lack of basic medical equipment had led to postponement of surgeries and alleged that repeated assurances from the authorities had failed to resolve the problem, causing patients to suffer severe pain while waiting for timely treatment. His remarks had sparked political criticism against the state government and the health ministry.
