The Kerala government has begun work to end a practice that has long drawn criticism of its public health system: patients are admitted to hospital floors because of overcrowding.The initiative will first be launched at Government Medical College Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram, and Government Medical College Hospital, Kozhikode, Health Minister K Muraleedharan said on Sunday, according to Sunday. PTI.One of the first steps will be to transform the fever clinic in the Thiruvananthapuram medical college to the Pulayanarkotta Chest Disease Hospital, where around 200 beds will be provided for patients.The move follows a decision taken on Saturday in a meeting chaired by Muraleedharan with senior officials of the health and medical education departments and heads of major hospitals in the district. PTI reports.
Focus on reducing crowding
Muraleedharan said the government is also planning to tackle congestion at the Kozhikode Medical College by building a new block using Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds.“Patients were accommodated on the floor in the Kozhikode Medical College also. There is enough space in the campus to establish an additional room and move the patients. The objective is to completely remove the practice of admission of patients on the floor,” said the minister.According to the minister, the initiative was coordinated by the director of medical education and the director of health services.The issue of patients being treated on hospital floors had recently sparked widespread criticism of the health department. The government’s latest plan now shifts focus from crowd management to preventing floor admissions altogether, according to PTI.
