THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday said that efforts will be made to raise the Government Medical College Hospital (MCH), Thiruvananthapuram, to international standards. Speaking after inaugurating a new set of medical equipment at the radio diagnosis wing of the hospital, he said the stroke cath lab, which is part of the comprehensive stroke centre, will begin functioning soon. The new equipment com-missioned at the radio diagnosis wing includes a digital subtraction angiography (DSA) machine, a digital fluoroscopy machine and a digital mammogram machine.
“Ensuring quality diagnosis and treatment at the MCH is paramount. To meet the same, efforts are being made to procure sophisticated equipment and programmes,” said the chief minister. According to him, the master plan for the overall development of MCH will be implemented in phases. “This includes a six-storey MLT block, a 11-storey paediatric block and an eight-storey surgical block,” he added.
Citing the recent incidents for which the public health sector came under criticism for its alleged negligence, Health Minister K K Shailaja said that there is a concerted effort to malign the image of the public health sector, including giving wider publicity to baseless reports on government hospitals. The minister added that such moves will only demoralise the health workers who have been fighting the pandemic.
Earlier, the minister had said that the new equipment would aid quality care at nominal rates to all sections of people who seek treatment at the MCH. “The DSA machine, which provides clear images of the inner surface of the blood vessels, costs `6 crore. It will be decisive in treating ailments like ischemic stroke, internal bleeding in the brain and intestinal cancer, among others. The digital fluoroscopy machine, which costs `65 lakh, will help view deep structures like intestines, bladder, cardiac muscles and the stomach in real time,” said Shailaja.The digital mammogram machine, which costs `1 crore, has been handed over to the hospital for free by the district chapter of Rotary Club, she added.
MCH’s new additions
New stroke cath lab, part of the comprehensive stroke centre, to begin functioning soon
Radio diagnosis wing gets slew of new equipment including a D1-crore worth digital mammogram machine
Master plan for the overall development of the MCH to be implemented in phases