THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Government medical colleges are widely regarded as the ultimate destination for quality healthcare in the state. But a recent controversy surrounding a senior administrator's health choices has exposed a stark reality: these very institutions often fail to care for their own.
The debate erupted after Dr Jayakumar T K, a renowned cardiothoracic surgeon and superintendent of the Government Medical College in Kottayam, opted to receive treatment at a private hospital. While defenders framed his decision as a matter of personal choice and a considerate effort to avoid burdening his own colleagues, the incident sparked a broader conversation about the inadequate amenities available to medical staff across government-run facilities.
The Kerala Government Medical College Teachers' Association (KGMCTA) has taken matters into its own hands to address this long-standing gap. The association recently funded and established a dedicated physician sick room equipped with basic inpatient treatment facilities at Government T D Medical College, Alappuzha. KGMCTA leaders noted that despite hosting 300 to 400 faculty members each, many government medical colleges previously lacked basic recovery facilities for ailing physicians.
"The sick room has basic facilities for the faculty members and their immediate relatives. The doctors can get sick and there should be facilities in their organisation," said Dr Shajahan P S, professor of pulmonary medicine and state president of KGMCTA.
Medical students already have dedicated sick rooms, he noted. Building on the Alappuzha pilot, the association plans to construct sick rooms in newer medical colleges that lack them, while refurbishing older facilities at institutions in Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode. The infrastructure deficit extends beyond the directorate of medical education into hospitals operated by the directorate of health services.
According to the Kerala Government Medical Officers' Association (KGMOA), dedicated staff sick rooms remain a rarity outside of select major facilities.
"The General Hospital in Ernakulam, which has a staff strength of over 1,000, has a sick room. But in other hospitals, a room is allocated based on the application given to the respective hospital superintendents. These are inadequate. The facility should be given to the staff," KGMOA president Dr Sunil P K said.