Thiruvananthapuram: Senior surgeon Dr Haris Chirakkal, who drew widespread attention by highlighting deficiencies in the govt medical college hospitals during the previous LDF govt’s tenure, welcomed state govt’s latest initiative to reduce overcrowding and end the practice of patients being made to lie on hospital floors.In a social media post, Chirakkal praised health minister K Muraleedharan for taking what he described as a “highly commendable decision” to address the long-standing problem. He said it was unacceptable for patients to be accommodated under beds or in hospital corridors because of a shortage of space.“Patients being pushed under beds or into verandas is an inexcusable wrong. Congratulations to health minister for taking decisive steps to solve the issue,” he wrote.He noted that Thiruvananthapuram govt medical college hospital has severe space constraints, leaving little scope for constructing new wards or buildings. He said the situation worsened after the demolition of a 250-bed hospital block around three years ago.To ease pressure on the hospital, he suggested shifting some departments to Pulayanarkotta hospital campus, where sufficient land is available. He also recommended upgrading the general hospital and Thycaud hospital into medical colleges to improve access to healthcare and reduce the patient load at state’s premier referral centre.Govt recently operationalised a seventh Medicine unit at Pulayanarkotta Hospital as an extension of medical college hospital. The new 200-bed facility will admit stable patients requiring medication and observation but not intensive care, allowing the medical college to focus on critically ill and super-speciality patients. Chirakkal also urged the govt to prevent delays in implementing healthcare reforms due to bureaucratic hurdles.
