COIMBATORE: The Madukkarai Government Hospital, a key facility at the taluk level in Coimbatore district, is bogged down by space crunch. The Coimbatore District Health Department has sought nod from the district administration to allot vacant land on the premises of the nearby government veterinary hospital for infrastructure development.
The Madukkarai Government Hospital offers multiple medical services. Its outpatient and casualty wards handle a high volume of cases. Additionally, the hospital provides round-the-clock services in obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatrics and surgery. The average daily footfall in the outpatient ward is around 550 to 600 patients, and with 60 beds, the hospital often reaches maximum occupancy.
Its location near the Kochi-Salem national highway enables it to effectively manage emergency and accident cases from the surrounding regions. The hospital serves thousands of patients, including those from the state's border area, who require emergency medical care.
Unfortunately, the hospital is short of space despite having adequate medical facilities. Hospital staff, including doctors, said their activities are constrained within an area of approximately 80 cents.
"The hospital has faced a space crunch for several years due to the increasing patient footfall. This situation particularly affects the outpatient and casualty wards, where staff struggle to manage the crowd due to lack of space. We have requested an additional 30 cents of land from the neighbouring animal husbandry department," a health department source said.
An official from the health department added, "The Animal Husbandry Department has vacant land on its premises. Allocating this land to the government hospital would allow us to accommodate more facilities and expand our services to treat additional patients."
The department has sent two letters to the district administration concerning this issue, yet no action has been taken so far, the official said.
Coimbatore District Collector Pawan Kumar G Giriyappanavar said,
"The Madukkarai Government Hospital plays a significant role in public health in the region. We need to obtain consent from the relevant department that owns the land required for hospital development. I will look into the matter," he said.