Heads of various medical colleges and hospitals across the State presented their problems and demand for manpower and equipment to Health Minister V.S. Vijay recently.
Senior officials of the city's tertiary care centres told The Hindu that the representations were made at a review meeting held recently to assess the requirements of the hospitals at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital here.
Technicians needed
The Government Kilpauk Hospital needs technicians to operate the mammogram, the ECG and the EEG machines. A senior hospital official said that everyday, around 500 to 600 patients required an ECG.
The hospital has been sanctioned an MRI scan machine, but since it does not have trained technicians to operate it, the equipment has not been installed. Similarly in the radiology department there are radiographers but no technicians to handle the equipment. The hospital is also facing a dearth of sanitary workers.
Officials at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital have also sought filling up of vacancies, including doctors. One of the requests is for an elevator for the Orthopaedic Department. The officials have also requested more funds for drugs and equipment and disposables.
“Every hospital can refer its patients to us but we cannot turn anyone away. This puts a lot of stress on our budget also. We have also given a proposal for a new mortuary,” said V. Palani, medical superintendent.
The present mortuary has a capacity to hold 175 bodies and many of them remain unclaimed leading to storage problems. The hospital performs around 15 to 20 autopsies every day. The hospital has requested a specially equipped ambulance which is used as part of the medical team that accompanies VVIPs during their trips.
Sources said the Government Stanley Hospital had requested a solution for the transportation of patients from the main hospital building to the paediatric wing across the Old Jail Road.
An elevator with lift was installed sometime ago at the hospital but a number of patients require to be shifted from the main building to the Neurology and the Dermatology ward in the paediatric wing, resulting in patients having to cross the road.
This becomes difficult for patients, as the Old Jail Road is perennially congested with container and lorry traffic.
