Coimbatore Medical College Hospital (CMCH) — the tertiary referral health centre for several Western districts and even for border districts of Kerala such as Palakkad — is going to get as many as 201 new workers in a single allotment.
Of these, 13 are supervisors and 141 are multipurpose workers who will carry out various chores ranging from cleaning to gardening. There will also be 47 security personnel.
Dean R. Vimala told The Hindu here on Tuesday that the Tamil Nadu Health System Project (TNSHP) had brought in a private agency for these workers through outsourcing. The TNSHP was bringing in additional conservancy workers in Government hospitals across Tamil Nadu.
Terming the measure as “extraordinarily helpful,” she said that it would bring about a radical change in the environment and general hygiene at the CMCH, which treats anywhere between 6,000 and 7,000 outpatients every day. The CMCH has 1,020 beds. However, the number of in-patients crosses 1,200.
With the increase in workforce, the hospital will now have full-fledged services carried out round-the-clock. Two-thirds of the new workers will be on day shifts, when the hospital gets the majority of visitors.
A few months ago, a private trust had come forward to appoint 35 security personnel along with some conservancy workers. The hospital had no security personnel prior to this period. At present, the hospital had 49 conservancy workers, the Dean said.
The workers have already begun joining duty in batches. All of them were expected to join duty by the first week of December, she added.
Around ten waiting sheds with seating facilities have been constructed in front of several departments including paediatrics, ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat), medicine, Intensive Medical Care Unit and Labour Ward. This has been done for the benefit of patients’ attendants, she added.
