Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has said the government will give priority to ensure that quality healthcare is accessible and affordable to all sections of society.
The best of global healthcare advancements and medical technology was available in the State today. However, these were not accessible to most because of the increased cost of care.
Equitable distribution of healthcare would be a prime concern for the government, as majority of the appeals he had received were those seeking financial assistance for medical care, Mr. Chandy said while inaugurating the first of the district adalats here on Thursday.
He said the government was exerting pressure on the Centre to make Right to Healthcare a reality. The Health Department was setting an example for other departments by ensuring a high level of participation and involvement by the public and local bodies in the adalat.
The government would take steps to extend health insurance to more sections of society.
Complaint boxes
Health Minister V.S. Sivakumar, who sat through the adalat, said that complaint boxes would be made a permanent feature in all government hospitals and all the complaints would have to be settled on a monthly basis by the hospital superintendents and the District Medical Officer every month.
Those complaints which required a decision from senior officials should be taken up at the Senior Medical Officers’ monthly conference. He asked officials to ensure that every complaint was given a fair hearing.
Mayor K. Chandrika, district panchayat president Remani P. Nair, Principal Secretary (Health) Rajeev Sadanandan, Director of Health Services P.K. Jameela, State Mission Director of NRHM M. Beena, Director of Medical Education V. Geetha, District Collector K.N. Satheesh, and senior health officials were present on the occasion.
The adalat considered 184 complaints, including 128, which were received on the spot.
