VILLUPURAM: The railway sub-divisional hospital in Villupuram, which caters to nearly 5,000 railway employees and their families in the district, urgently needs Covid-treatment facilities, the hospital staff demanded on Tuesday, when Villupuram MP Ravikumar inspected the facility. The hospital has about 10 beds and no oxygen support, so patients in need have to be referred to the Tiruchy divisional hospital or the Mundiyambakkam government hospital and medical college in Villupuram, officials said.
Sources from the hospital said that the institute caters to about 10,000 people - roughly 1,700 families of employees, and 3,000 families of retired staff - and didn’t have enough manpower even before the pandemic. And now, the situation has only become worse, they added. Speaking about treating railway employees of Covid, Dr Gyananandham, the hospital’s only doctor, told TNIE, “Previously, there was a female doctor who attended to delivery cases of railway employees. But since she was transferred, we haven’t been able to take up delivery cases. The appointment of a female doctor is awaited.”
Dr Gyananandham added that oxygen concentrators must be given to the sub-divisional hospital to cater to severely-affected Covid patients. Vaccination camps are being held, and so far, about 450 railway employees have been vaccinated, sources said. MP Ravikumar said, “A demand to improve the facility and provide Covid treatment has been sent to the head of Southern Railways in Tiruchy.”