THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Following the sharp fall in the quality of medical education imparted in the state, the doctors here have urged the government to provide autonomous status to all government medical colleges in Kerala. And the doctors’ forums have recommended that the government should make this part of the LDF Government’s new health policy.
Besides, the specialist doctors have recommended a separate Directorate for Specialist Cadre on the lines of the Directorate of Health Services(DHS). They also made a pertinent suggestion that the DHS should be headed by a Director General (DGHS), instead of the present Director of Health Service, which they said would give an impetus to the entire public healthcare system.Stating that new colleges should be sanctioned in the state only after conducting a scientific study on its need, Kerala Government Medical College Teachers Association (KGMCTA) said the responsibility of primary and secondary healthcare should be taken away from the medical colleges and they should be turned into academic centres and tertiary care centres, which alone could ensure global standards in medical education.
With regard to the Autonomous status, the KGMCTA in its recommendations said the post of the Principal shall be upgraded to Director and an administrative body set up to help the Director (Institute Model). Meanwhile, the control of the private medical colleges could be entrusted with the Directorate of Medical Education(DME). The association also mooted a special enactment towards this end.Another suggestion was to convert the district hospitals also into training centres for the Diplomate of National Board(DNB) Examinations, which would improve patient care and training facilities for Medical Graduates. The Association has also called for improving Primary and Secondary levels of
healthcare facilities. Its other recommendations included the abolishing of Hospital Development Societies in Government Medical Colleges, de-linking Ayush from KUHS and the setting up of a separate AYUSH University.
The stipend paid to Residents and House Surgeons is another key issue, which the KGMCTA believes must be addressed so that parity should be ensured across institutions. Meanwhile, Kerala Government Specialist Doctors Association (KGSDA), on its part, suggested that the DGHS could have three separate divisions -- Director of Health Services (public health), DME and Director of Speciality Hospitals. They stressed that a separate Directorate was needed as it could help to ensure more patient care. and also concentrate more on specialisation-related issues.