THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a bid to clean up the image of state-run healthcare facilities plagued by public complaints, the government has decided to crack the whip on rude behaviour, high-handedness, and poor communication among hospital staff.
Health Minister K Muraleedharan on Friday ordered mandatory ‘patient-friendly’ training for all non-medical personnel across the state, ranging from taluk hospitals to premier medical colleges. The health principal secretary has been directed to immediately set the administrative wheels in motion to roll out the behavioural overhaul.
The decision comes due to a rise in bitter complaints from patients and anxious bystanders, who often report facing hostile attitudes, cold interactions, and severe communication gaps during hospital visits. To fix this systemic friction, the training will cover the entire non-doctor workforce -- including nursing,
administrative, and paramedical staff -- across all major government institutions, including district, general, model, and women and children’s hospitals.
The initiative will place a special emphasis on security personnel, who serve as the primary point of contact for patients and visitors entering hospital premises. The department has mandated that all security staff -- regardless of whether they are employed on a temporary, contract, or outsourced basis -- must successfully complete the designated training programme.
The health minister made it explicitly clear that any security personnel who fail to complete this mandatory training will not be permitted to report for duty or continue their service in government hospitals.
The re-skilling drive will follow a structured hub-and-spoke model.
For medical colleges, four select officers from each institution will first be trained at the Apex Trauma and Emergency Learning Centre to act as master trainers, who will then return to run internal workshops.