COIMBATORE: Joint Director of Health Services, Nilgiris district, in a reply to a petition, has stated that two gynaecologists will be appointed for the recently upgraded district government headquarters hospital at Gudalur in June.
“Out of the sanctioned strength of 14 doctors for Gudalur government hospital, eight doctors have been appointed and two gynaecologists will be appointed soon,” said the JD stated in his reply to petitioner R Ranjit, a resident of Aarattuparai, on October 27. When contacted, the JD explained that the two gynaecologists (PG doctors) will be appointed in June next year when they complete the course and they will work in the hospital for two years.
Sources, however, said only seven doctors including an MBBS doctor and an ophthalmologist are working now and one doctor was on medical leave. Ranjit Kumar, who submitted the petition through the centralised public grievance redress and monitoring system (CPGRAMS), under the Department of Administrative reforms and Public grievances, on August 5, said the state government should appoint the gynaecologists on a war footing since poor estate women labourers are referred to Udagamandalam GH.
“Over two lakh people are living in Gudalur and most of them are tea estate workers and tribals. The women find it difficult to travel to Ooty GH as the road up to Naduvattam is in very bad shape. The Gudalur GH was upgraded as the district headquarters hospital in May, but not enough doctors have been appointed yet and there is no proper equipment. There is no use in appointing doctors without improving infrastructure,” said Ranjit Kumar who is also the coordinator of O-Valley Makkal Iyakkam.
Ranjit added that he would move Madras High Court seeking direction to the state health department on the issue.
Sources in the Nilgiris health department said they would hire gynaecologists from private hospitals as consultants to perform C-section surgeries in Gudalur hospital instead of referring cases to Ooty.
“A proposal has been sent to the government nod and we are awaiting approval and funds,” said a health department official.