KOCHI: The Ernakulam Government Medical College (GMC) at Kalamassery completed its sixth year as a government hospital this year. While it has seen remarkable improvements since 2013 – when it ceased to be the Cochin Medical College (CMC) under the Cooperative Academy of Professional Education (CAPE) – the GMC still has miles to go when it comes to providing tertiary healthcare on a par with what is provided at the Kottayam and Thiruvananthapuram medical colleges.
Dr N K Sanil Kumar of Justice Krishna Iyer Movement agrees. “A lot needs to be done to turn the GMC into a hospital that provides complete tertiary healthcare,” he told TNIE.Recalling its journey from being a CMC to becoming a GMC, Dr Sanil said, “When it was established in 1999 by the Cooperative Academy of Professional Education under the Cooperation Department, the institution only had tales of corruption, mismanagement and neglect to tell.”“People, especially those from financially backward families, had nowhere to seek medical help. Their treatment trail ended at the general hospital,” Dr Sanil said.
“Everything was wrong at CMC. The admission process was skewed and the MBBS course was self-financing. The admission process lacked transparency and `50 lakh was sought for a seat,” he said. The fee was another factor that drove away patients from lower financial strata, Dr Sanil said.
“Treatment was not free. The average number of patients per day never exceeded 350,” said Dr Sanil, who was working at Lakeshore Hospital at the time. “When I compared the two hospital’s facilities and saw the vast possibilities of setting up a similar healthcare facility going down the drain due to some people’s greed, I wanted to do something,” he said. He said he approached M K Sanu and as per his advice, they met Justice Krishna Iyer. “We pointed out the situation at CMC and told him that it would be great if the government takes over the institution,” he said. From then on, everything happened like clockwork, said Dr Sanil.
Setbacks
There have been setbacks. “Many PG courses here don’t have the Medical Council of India (MCI) recognition. Lack of enough teachers is the reason cited,” he said.
“Lack of super-speciality departments is proving to be a bane. Imagine a hospital without a gastroenterology surgery department, paediatric and plastic surgery. Urology department no longer exists here and the costly equipment is going waste,” said Dr Sanil. “With refineries located in and around Kochi, a super-speciality burns unit is a necessity. We don’t have one,” he said.
He said they wanted Kalamassery to be the medical hub of the district. “For this, the construction of `350-crore super-speciality building needs to be completed at the earliest. MBBS seats need to be increased to 100,” he said. Dr Peter Vazhayil, GMC superintendent, said the inpatient and outpatient numbers have increased. “The hospital needs more facilities. There is high patient load,” he said. He said steps have been initiated to start new PG courses and get back recognition for courses like MD (General Medicine).
Achievements made so far
After a year of discussions, the government took over CMC in December 2013. “Six years on, the GMC has achieved a lot,” Dr Sanik Kumar said. “Patients are not charged any fee. All PG and MBBS admissions are based on merit. An average of nearly 1,500 outpatients visit the hospital daily and specialist doctors have been appointed to various departments from other medical colleges in the state,” Dr Sanil said. There’s more. “A new work culture came into being. The staff became disciplined. Affiliation to political parties no longer played a role in appointments,” said Dr Sanil.
