Kochi: The services at Ernakulam General Hospital have been severely crippled after a slew of COVID-19 cases among healthcare professionals and staff.

The disruption of services was hard felt by those classified under the Below Poverty Line category for whom this 176-year-old hospital remains one of the primary healthcare centres because of its subsidised treatments.

Only three of the hospital's many outpatient counters were operational these past days.

An outpatient counter is the part of a hospital designed for the treatment of outpatients, people with health problems who visit the hospital for diagnosis or treatment but do not at this time require a bed or to be admitted for overnight care.

Disgruntled patients and their families took to the streets in protest. They only dispersed after the police were called.

With healthcare systems across the state burdened with the fight against COVID-19, Health Minister Veena George had urged the public to refrain from seeking in-person consultations for the time being.

The Kerala government has recently introduced a teleconsultation service to curb the influx of people going to hospitals.

Retired healthcare professionals have been roped in to provide this service.