Government Hospital in Madurai gets pain relief drug

GRH receives two-month supply of morphine, an important drug for cancer patients

Following the intervention of Maduria Collector Anshul Mishra, the Government Rajaji Hospital (GRH) here has received supply of an important pain relief drug given to cancer patients.

Morphine, the tablet, comes under narcotics category and hence given in restricted quantity and only after obtaining various official clearances.

An urgent requirement of this tablets was taken to the attention of the Collector at a review meeting on Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme a few days ago.

Mr. Mishra took up the matter with Chennai Collector whose clearance was needed to get the drug. Now, the GRH has received an adequate stock of this medicine, sufficient for the next two months.

“The clearance for supply of this drug was pending for quite sometime. It required the approval from excise authorities also,” Mr. Mishra told The Hindu on Thursday.

Medical Superintendent T. Swaminathan said that the Collector was keen on the overall improvement of the hospital — be it sanitation, infrastructure, medical equipment and availability of medicines.

The Collector was keeping track of the requirements at the hospital.

Meanwhile, Mr.Mishra visited the hospital on Thursday to see for himself how the newly provided sanitation and cleaning equipment were being used.

The sanitary workers are being trained by representatives of the company which supplied the equipment.

“We can’t change things in a day or two in this huge hospital, but certainly the GRH will soon be much better than what it is now,” the Collector said after his visit. He went to the dengue fever ward where a demonstration was done for sanitary workers on using the mopping unit.

“After training the sanitary staff for next few days, we will decide on where to use the cleaning equipment based on the needs at the wards,” the Medical Superintendent said.

Only nine cases

The hospital authorities also informed that the number of dengue fever cases has come down drastically in the last one week. As of Thursday, nine persons who tested positive for dengue are undergoing treatment in the fever ward.