TIRUPPUR: Social activists and the public have raised complaints over the lack of adequate facilities at the Kangeyam Government Hospital, even though it has been upgraded to a District Headquarters Hospital. They are claiming that in emergency situations, patients are referred to Erode and other government hospitals.
R Selvaraj, CPM's taluk committee member of Kangeyam, said, "The government hospital in Kangeyam was upgraded to the district headquarters hospital in 2022 after a long wait. Subsequently, an additional building, constructed at a cost of Rs 12 crore, spanning three floors, and equipped with 58 beds, was inaugurated on the hospital premises on February 6. Despite being upgraded to the District Headquarters Hospital, this hospital is still not self-sufficient in providing adequate medical services."
"There is a shortage of doctors and nurses in the hospital. The district headquarters hospital should have 27 doctors, but there are only 5 here. Instead of 40 nurses, there are only 14 and seven of them are contract workers. Despite having 136 beds, patients injured in accidents and those requiring emergency care are being referred from Kangeyam to Erode or other government hospitals. Instead of conducting post-mortems here, bodies are frequently sent to the Tiruppur Government Medical College Hospital," he added.
"Although the room facilities for various specialised treatments, including orthopedics, ophthalmology, and paediatrics, are in place, the equipment is yet to arrive. The district administration must immediately address such basic facilities and shortcomings," he said.
R Vincent, from Kangeyam, said, "There is a shortage of lab and X-ray technical staff at the hospital. Water stagnates within the hospital premises even when it rains. There is heavy traffic congestion in front of the hospital."
A senior official of the health department said, "Every day, 400 to 500 outpatients are visiting the hospital. There are enough doctors to provide them with proper treatment. Earlier, there was a plan to upgrade the Dharapuram hospital into a district headquarters hospital. However, Kangeyam was suddenly declared a district headquarters hospital. But the number of doctors for this purpose has not been increased. Kangeyam has only 9 doctor posts. All posts have been filled. Similarly, there is an adequate number of nurses."
Further, the official said, "As there is no CT scan facility in Kangeyam, certain cases are referred to other hospitals and not all emergency cases."