Thiruvananthapuram: At least 250 patients continue to linger at various government hospitals in the state after their relatives have abandoned them after admitting the sick persons there.

Health Minister Veena George revealed the shocking fact in the wake of a report published by ‘Malayala Manorama’ on Saturday, highlighting the plight of 42 patients who got abandoned by their families at the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College.

The minister said the figures are as per a preliminary assessment, and many of them are staying at the hospitals for four to five months.

Such cases of abandoned patients are a major challenge faced by the government hospitals that reel from a constant shortage of beds amid a large number of patients turning up for treatment, the minister pointed out.

A two-member committee, comprising officials of the Medical Education Directorate and the Health Department, has been set up to coordinate rehabilitation of such abandoned patients, the minister informed, adding that a system will be put in place whereby voluntary organizations can provide shelter to them by directly taking them from the hospitals.

The minister on Saturday convened an online meeting of district medical officers to discuss the issue of rehabilitation of abandoned patients.

“The positive responses we are getting indicate that the Manorama news of the abandoned patients has opened the eyes of society. Now many voluntary organizations and individuals have come forward expressing willingness to offer shelter and provide treatment to such hapless patients,” minister Veena George said.

Meanwhile, 14 out of the 42 patients lingering at Thiruvananthapuram Medical College have been offered shelter under the leadership of Kottarakkara Ashraya Charitable Trust Director Kalayapuram George. These people were taken to Kottarakkara by Saturday noon. He assured the authorities to extend shelter to more such patients upon their discharge from the hospital.

Businessman Bobby Chemmannur, and various voluntary organizations including the orphanages run by various Christian congregations, Pathanapuram Gandhi Bhavan, and Kripa Bhavan based in Peravoor, Kannur, have approached the Medical College authorities expressing their willingness to rehabilitate the patients.

Such instances of patients being abandoned by their relatives are reported from elsewhere too. Thiruvananthapuram General Hospital Superintendent Dr Sukesh Raji informed that there are 80 such patients. The abandoned ‘victims’ include persons in their early 30-es to Octogenarians.

24 abandoned patients in Kottayam district
There are 24 such patients in the Kottayam district, aged between 32 years to 87 years. While 20 are languishing at the Medical College hospital, four are staying at General Hospital.

The figures point out that 70 to 80 persons are being admitted every month to the Medical College hospital with no relatives to take care of them. They also include those being abandoned by their relatives at the hospital. Nearly 90 percent of such patients comprise males and are admitted to Neuro, Surgery, Ortho, Medicine, Infectious Disease Unit, Palliative care, and Cardiology departments.

While the authorities failed to track relatives of some of the patients, the families refuse to take them back in the case of others. No one has come forward to provide shelter to an elderly woman who is under treatment at the Neuro department. The same is the case with the paralyzed migrant worker at the Palliative care unit.

The stipulation is that the concerned authorities should be informed and a reference letter produced upon any patient being brought to the Medical College from other hospitals. However, often the relatives would leave the patients at the hospital premises and disappear.

However, the authorities started taking action following a rise in such instances and a gradual change is now visible.

Special staff wing for abandoned patients
When the number of patients who have none to take care of has gone up, the Kottayam Medical College has come out with a new project to rehabilitate them. A five-member team headed by a Head Nurse has been formed. They will collect details, including the hospitals which referred the patients, before sending back the latter to such hospitals.

If the patients are brought by locals, the team will find out their addresses and inform the relatives with the help of panchayats. If the families refuse to take back the patients, then they will be handed over to voluntary organizations, following all the legal procedures. The abandoned patients will be extended all the required care and treatment under the leadership of the Hospital Development Committee.