THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In an effort to address the long-pending issue of acute staff shortage at rural health facilities, especially medical college hospitals (MCHs), the health department has proposed a 30% hike in the remote-rural allowance for doctors. This, it believes, will help improve facilities and services and attract specialist doctors to MCHs in Idukki, Kasaragod and Wayanad.
Though the state government has established MCHs in all districts, many of the institutions, including those in Kasaragod, Palakkad, Wayanad, Pathanamthitta and Idukki lack adequate doctors, affecting patient care and specialised services.
“Several medical colleges have the infrastructure, but lack doctors to ensure that specialised treatment and services are available and accessible to patients. Providing a remote-rural allowance would motivate doctors to choose these medical colleges for work,” a department source said. The department has identified Wayanad, Idukki and Kasaragod as remote and rural MCHs.
The move comes at a time when concerns have been raised over some newly established MCHs operating essentially as upgraded general and taluk hospitals, with severe staff and infrastructure deficits.
Dr Ajith Prasad, president of Kerala Government Postgraduate Medical Teachers Association, said mere infrastructure alone cannot help ensure better treatment and medical education. “We have been demanding the creation of posts, not just for doctors, but for nurses, lab assistants and office staff, and infrastructure development at medical colleges across the state,” he said.
‘Inadequate faculty, facilities affecting footfall, too’
“We don’t have enough professors or doctors. We need better labs and instruments,” Ajith Prasad said.
He added that shifting doctors to different medical colleges to fulfil the criteria of the National Medical Council (NMC) would not help develop medical colleges. Meanwhile, at the established MCHs in Thiruvananthapuram, Kottayam and Kozhikode, staff patterns are finalised after taking into consideration patient care, along with medical education.
“We have requested for the inclusion of Pathanamthitta MCH in the list. In Konni, we have the infrastructure. Steps will be taken for post creation in other medical colleges. A gap analysis will be conducted to identify and fill the vacancies,” the official added.
Dr Ajith said inadequate faculty and facilities were also affecting patient footfall at some of the newer medical colleges, which creates difficulties for medical students.
“Better facilities and faculty do not just improve patient care. They are essential for providing better medical education. Government medical colleges in the state cannot be run with such inadequacies,” he said.