PALAKKAD: The proposed downgrading of the Southern Railway's Sub-Divisional Hospital at Shoranur triggered strong opposition on Thursday, with various railway pensioners' associations staging a protest in front of the facility.
The move to convert the hospital into a health unit has sparked fears over the loss of inpatient and round-the-clock medical services at one of Keralam's busiest railway junctions.
The reported move could see the 24-bed hospital lose its inpatient facility (IP) and function largely as an outpatient (OP) health unit. The proposed restructuring also involves redeploying staff to other locations, with the exercise expected to be completed by October 30. However, senior officials of the Palakkad division said no final decision had been taken to downgrade the hospital.
The Shoranur facility, which came into existence as a polyclinic during the British era and upgraded to the sub divisional hospital in the late 1960s, currently has 28 employees including two full-time doctors and caters to around 1,200 serving railway employees and their families, and nearly 2,000 retired employees and their families. The total number of beneficiaries is estimated at around 8,000.
Besides, the hospital provides medical assistance to railway passengers, including those requiring emergency treatment after falling ill or sustaining injuries during train journeys.
On an average, around 120 patients visit the hospital's OP every day. It has orthopaedic and ENT specialty clinics, a minor operation theatre, ECG, X-ray and full-fledged laboratory facilities. The hospital also provides round-the-clock medical services, an important facility given its proximity to Shoranur Junction, a major railway hub in the state.
The proposed downgrade is reportedly being considered against the backdrop of relatively low utilisation of the inpatient facility. "The inpatient cases at Shoranur are relatively very low, which is why the move is being planned," a senior Palakkad division official said.
The hospital's beneficiaries, meanwhile, pointed out that instead of downgrading the facility, the authorities should strengthen it by introducing more speciality services, including surgery, orthopaedics, gynaecology and general medicine.
"The proposal has also raised questions over the Railway's expenditure on referrals. Around 30 patients from Shoranur are referred to private hospitals for specialised treatment every month, with the Railway spending between Rs 50 lakh and Rs 60 lakh a month on such referrals. A portion of this expenditure could instead be utilised to strengthen the existing hospital with additional specialists and treatment facilities," they pointed out.
Further scaling down could leave railway employees, pensioners and passengers dependent on outside hospitals even for treatment that is currently available at the Shoranur facility.
Shoranur is one of only three railway centres with inpatient facilities under the Palakkad and Thiruvananthapuram divisions, the other two being Palakkad and Thiruvananthapuram. While the Palakkad facility has around 110 inpatient beds, Shoranur has 24 beds. Patients from outside the immediate region, including from Mangaluru and Coimbatore, also reportedly approach the Shoranur hospital for consultation.
The proposed restructuring is particularly significant for Shoranur, where the hospital's proximity to the railway station gives it an important role in responding to medical emergencies involving passengers. Any reduction in its services could leave one of Keralam's busiest railway junctions without the existing level of immediate medical support.