Office-bearers of the Cochin Medical College Teachers’ Association (CMCTA) said here on Tuesday said that all doctors in the medical college supported the takeover of the institution by the government. There had been a series of allegations in the media of a conspiracy by some teachers to torpedo the government takeover, said Jacob Baby, president of the CMCTA.
These allegations were also levelled against the special officer designated for the takeover, the Principal, the administrator and other officials who were entrusted with the task of running the college, said Dr. Baby.
The services of the college, which had been giving subsidised treatment to patients, were being overlooked, the association office bearers said.
There were some shortcomings since the system of working as a government institution was new to the college, but the authorities of the institution had not been given the time to rectify these issues, said Dr. Baby. The increase in the number of out-patients from 500-600 to 700-800 a day is being managed well. The number of in-patients too had gone up from the earlier 300 to 380.
“We are professionals and are even a challenge to the private hospitals around”, said Dr. Baby.
Appointment of doctors made to the medical college had been in accordance with the norms of the Medical Council of India, he said, countering allegations that norms had been flouted in the appointments. There was much to be done at the college hospital, but the daily dose of “bad news” was affecting the hospital functioning, he said.
There were apprehensions among some of the staff about the integration into the government system with quite a few of them fearing loss of their jobs.
May be, persons with such fears were spreading the negative news about the medical college, he said.
Secretary of the CMCTA, T.S. Jaisoorya, and past president of the association, Sunny Orathel, spoke at the press meet.
Meanwhile, the Hospital Development Society (HDS) that was to be set up at the medical college and provision of free treatment at the institution are yet to take shape.
The society was meant to take decisions on providing better facilities in the college.
It is learnt that the order to form the HDS has been sent to the Election Commission to avoid any breach of the model code of conduct.
It was decided to form the society with officials working in the district as members, and the District Collector as chairman of the executive body so that patient care could be property maintained.
