The Communist Party of India (Marxist) took to the streets here on Tuesday highlighting “serious shortcomings” in providing healthcare to patients at Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital attached to K.A.P. Viswanatham Government Medical College.
As many as 375 cadres, including 75 women, courted arrest when they tried to stage a road roko in front of the hospital, which attracts patients from Tiruchi, Perambalur, Ariyalur, Karur and Pudukottai districts.
Addressing the party cadre who staged the protest for more than an hour braving the scorching sun, G. Ramakrishnan, State secretary, said the hospital, which was catering to the needs of about 30 lakh people in and around Tiruchi, had been facing acute shortage of doctors, nurses and technicians. Despite several agitations, the vacancies had not been filled.
As against the requirement of about 350 nurses, the hospital had been functioning with just 140. Vacancies of specialist doctors, including neurologists, neuro surgeons, cardiologists, psychiatrists and others, were yet to be filled . Many of the highly sophisticated equipment had been kept idle owing to acute shortage of doctors, he alleged.
Blaming the State government for the sorry state of affairs, he said many other government hospitals in the State had been facing similar problems. It showed that the government was not serious about providing quality healthcare to the poor and needy.
Meanwhile, M.K.Muralitharan, Dean, KAP Viswanatham Medical College, said that the number of doctors in the hospital had been increased substantially. The hospital has submitted a proposal for appointing 396 nurses.
