The maternity ward at the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital will be expanded at a cost of Rs.6 crore, Dean of the Hospital V. Kumaran told Chairman of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly Committee on Petitions Kovai Thangam during the panel’s inspection of the hospital here on Thursday.
Mr. Thangam and Collector P. Umanath saw some women and their newborns lying on straw mattresses spread on the floor. When Mr. Thangam, a legislator from Valaparai Constituency in the district, offered to find sponsors to provide woollen mattresses for the ward, the Dean and the Collector said the maternity ward would soon be expanded to increase the bed strength.
Additional beds
“After the expansion, no patient or newborn will be forced to lie on the floor. An additional 150 beds will be provided,’ the Dean said after the panel visit.
Mr. Thangam and other members of the committee interacted with the patients and visitors to know whether they had any complaints over the services or amenities provided by the hospital. They specifically asked whether any hospital worker demanded money for entry into the wards.
When some visitors complained that they were not being allowed into the maternity ward, the Collector told them that this was done only to prevent any infection to the women patients and their newborn.
The patients demanded improvements to toilet and complained of water leakage. The panel wanted the Public Works Department to carry out repairs.
Drug stock
When the committee enquired about the drug stock, the Dean said enough drugs were available in the hospital. Mr. Thangam specifically asked how many cases of snake and dog bites were being reported every day.
The Dean said 40 snake bites were treated in 2008 and 30 last year.
Cases of dog bites were on the rise because of the menace of stray dogs.
“We treated 100 cases of dog bites on Wednesday alone,” the Dean said. There was no shortage of anti-snake venom or anti-rabies vaccines, he said.
