NABH accreditation to Women and Children Hospital at stake

The accreditation of the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals (NABH) accorded to the Women and Children Hospital at Thycaud is at stake with the hospital not adhering to many of the NABH standards and guidelines.

When NABH accredited hospitals are to provide all facilities to the patients within the hospital, the patients at the Women and Children Hospital are forced to walk out for scan, lab tests and even for buying medicines that are not available.

The construction of the centralised operation theatre, which was one of the facilities that was envisaged as part of getting the NABH accreditation, is yet to start. The theatre that is now functioning is a smaller one with only split AC whereas NABH calls for centralised AC system.

The doctors prescribe scan outside the hospital as there is no proper facility at the hospital, sources said. As per the NABH norms, it is mandatory that the patients should be provided such facility within the hospital. They also said that there was a shortage of medicines and even certain base drugs such as ampicillin was not available at the drug store. With no stock of the base and cheap medicines, the doctors are forced to prescribe high priced drugs, the sources said. The doctors at the hospital have raised complaints on drug procurement.

Source : The New Indian Express

http://epaper.newindianexpress.com/347545/The-New-Indian-Express-Thiruvananthapuram/30-09-2014#page/17/1

Service Extension to Docs a financial strain

At a time the Oommen Chandy government has come out with various measures to tide over the present financial crisis,  the extension of service of as many as 50 doctors in the Health Service by six months is alleged to be draining the state exchequer. 

The government is paying out a crore per month for the doctors who are at the verge of retirement and who are on extended service when hundreds of doctors are in waiting in the PSC list, which has been pending for a long time.

Those who are at the verge of retirement and the others whose extension period is almost over draws a salary of about Rs 1.50 to Rs 1.75 lakh per month, which means that the state pays out about Rs 75 lakh to Rs 80 lakh. When these doctors are paid such a huge amount, the entry level salary is Rs 40,000.

Officials point out that it is a paradox that the service of the doctors, who are paid highly, are being extended even when the government is talking of bold steps to tide over the financial crisis.  The government had even hiked water charges and removed the existing caps on stamp duty and registration fee, thereby projecting an additional revenue of more than Rs 2,000 crore. Though the salary that is given to the doctors when their service is extended is minimal, it can also add to the revenue of the state, they added.

They also noted that there was no justification in extending the service of the doctors at a time when the government is for stringent measures to tide over the crisis. Even it was decided that the ministers would not take 20 per cent of  their salary until the end of this fiscal. Restrictions have also been imposed on foreign trips of ministers. 

Source: the New Indian Express

http://epaper.newindianexpress.com/341586/The-New-Indian-Express-Thiruvananthapuram/20-09-2014#page/4/1

Kerala Resumes Excess Estate Land for medical campus

Despite all pressures from various quarters for giving compensation to the land acquired for setting up the Sree Chitra Thirunal Institute of Medical Sciences (SCTIMST ) at Wayanad, the government has ordered to resume 75 acres of land in Mananthwadi without shelling out a single paise. Earlier there was a move to pay compensation of about 20 to 25 crores for the land that was to be acquired, which the Express had exposed a few months back.

In the order, which is in possession of Express, it says that the lessee M/s Glen Leven Estate in Mananthwadi is not entitled for the value of the land as the jenmom right is vested with the government. However, it says that the lessee is entitled only for the value of improvements/structures it had done in the said land.

''The Wayanad district collector is accordingly directed to acquire 75 acres of land from M/s Glen leven estate for the establishment of the campus of Sree Chitra Thirunal Institute of Medical Sciences in Wayanad,'' the order dated August 19 said.

There was much pressure on the government to giving compensation for the land. Even the Advocate General had in his legal opinion favoured compensation to the estate owners. The Express had exposed the move with the Opposition Leader V S Achuthanandan taking up the issue.

The property that has to be resumed was originally leased out for 99 years in 1941 to V V Joseph and others. After that the dependents of Joseph sold the lease hold right to M/s Glen leven estate.

The decision is said to be a revolutionary one, making it clear that all lease lands are vested with the government. Moreover, the government can now resume all excess land that is now in the illegal possession. 

Source:  The Newindian Express 

http://epaper.newindianexpress.com/330249/The-New-Indian-Express-Thiruvananthapuram/01-09-2014#page/4/1