THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Amid the raging controversy over Health Minister Veena George’s unannounced visit to Tribal Specialty Hospital at Kottathara in Attappadi in the wake of high infant mortality reported from the region, doctors have shone the torch on poor facilities plaguing the hospital meant for tribals. Kerala Government Medical Officers’ Association (KGMOA) shot off a letter to the minister, which listed the infrastructure and human resources needed to run the hospital.
The letter also flayed the tendency to put the entire blame of infant and maternal mortality on hospital conditions and staff. It said that there was a need for comprehensive plan to improve the quality of life of Adivasis. The letter signed by KGMOA president G S Vijayakrishnan and general secretary T N Suresh urged the minister’s intervention to boost the morale of staff working under challenging conditions.
The minister’s visit became controversial after hospital superintendent and Attappadi tribal health nodal officer R Prabhudas alleged that he was purposefully kept away from the hospital during the visit. He alleged that he was summoned to Thiruvananthapuram by health secretary Rajan Khobragade on the same day the minister visted Attappadi.
He later came out with a more damning allegation of corruption against those managing the hospital. Prabhudas, an award winning doctor who spent considerable part of his career in Attappadi, has also received the backing of eminent doctors on social media. Meanwhile, the health minister said her visit to assess the ground situation, was decided barely 24 hours prior to the trip. “I do not intend to respond to the political statements made by the superintendent.
It was my duty to visit a hospital under the health department and I will continue to undertake similar visits,” said Veena. She said the government will make special intervention in Attappadi and pregnant women will get personalised care. Opposition leader V D Satheesan, who visited the tribal settelments on Monday, was also critical of the visit by the health minister. The region had reported 121 infant deaths in the last eight years. The government had ordered a probe after three infants died recently.
Controversy
The health minister’s visit became controversial after Kottathara tribal hospital superintendent Dr R Prabhudas alleged that he was purposefully kept away from the hospital during the visit.