Malappuram: A communication from the District Medical Officer (DMO) seeking the staff pattern of speciality wings in various hospitals in the district has triggered speculations that a move is underway to end the functioning of the General Hospital, Manjeri, Malappuram.
The DMO has sent a letter to the heads of various hospitals in Malappuram citing a proposal submitted to the Director of Health Services to shift the location of doctors and para-medical staff from Manjeri GH to other hospitals
Kerala Government Medical Officers Association (KGMOA) has alleged that the Health Department is planning to transfer the doctors working in the General hospital to other government hospitals and that it is a move to dissolve the general hospital. In 2013, the UDF government had integrated Manjeri GH with the newly allocated Medical College hospital in the district. Since then, both these hospitals have shared the same facility. Although there was a demand to shift the GH to a new building, no step was taken.
“We fear Malappuram is going to lose its lone GH, whereas a few other districts enjoy up to three hospitals in the general hospital category. 12 specialist doctors have already been transferred from the GH. There is another direction from the health department to shift the doctors and para-medical staff to other hospitals. It would eventually end the functioning of the GH, and it would create a huge impact on the health facilities in the district,” said Dr K M Jaanif, KGMOA, Malappuram district secretary.
The general hospital has a 500-bed in-patient capacity. The government had planned to bifurcate both hospitals, retaining the Medical College in Manjeri and shifting the GH to a nearby place, Cherani. However, the proposal was not taken up by the governments. Now, both these hospitals function in a congested place.
“Our demand is to free the general hospital from the medical college. It would benefit the health sector in the district by getting another government hospital with better facilities. However, it has not materialised yet,” said T V Ibrahim, Kondotty MLA. District Medical Officer Dr M Renuka said that there are no such plans from the side of the health department. "There is no direction from the government to shift the doctors and staff from the general hospital. The communication seeking the staff pattern is a routine procedure,” said Dr Renuka.