First Liver transplant in Public Sector Hosp hangs in balance

Despite government's claim that the first cadaver liver transplantation unit in the public sector will be done last December at Thiruvananthapuram Medical College hospital, it is still a non starter with undue delay in providing sufficient infrastructure and imparting proper training to the doctors. 

Even though the liver transplant programme was charted out two years ago, the unit is still at halfway point. An expert team that visited Medical College has noted that about 50 per cent of the facilities are yet to be provided.   

Training is yet to imparted to the surgeons, anaesthesiologists, radiodiagnosists, pathologists, nursing and other para medical staff, highly placed sources said. Though there was an agreement with a private hospital in Chennai to train the doctors, the sources said that there was much delay in giving training. The earlier decision was to give training of six months to specialists in a private hospital in Chennai and later it was cut short to six days, which was also hardly given,  the sources alleged. 

They point out that a dedicated ICU and recovery room has not be set up for Transplant. Apart from this, the unit is yet to  get proper high end equipment for conducting the transplant.  The infighting between surgical and medical units is said to be one of the reasons for the delay.  Apart from this, they also said that there were no willing patients. 

Though agreeing to some extent that the unit was not completely set up, Trivandrum Medical College Vice Principal and head of the Liver Transplant Unit Dr K R Vinayakumar said that high end equipment was yet to reach. ''But this is not a major thing as such equipment could be borrowed from KIMS as per an agreement with them,'' he said. Apart from this, he also noted taht the expert team that inspected the facility at the unit had suggested some modificatiuons in the ICU and the Recovery room, whiuch was now being done. 

source> The New Indian express 

http://epaper.newindianexpress.com/445068/The-New-Indian-Express-Thiruvananthapuram/23-02-2015#page/4/1
http://epaper.newindianexpress.com/445134/The-New-Indian-Express-Kochi/23022015#page/4/1

Wayanad MC: doubts raised over land taken from Trust

The decision to take over 50 acres of land offered by a Trust for the proposed Wayanad Medical College has raised serious concern among the revenue officials who allege that it would only lead to diluting the Kerala Land Reforms Act and the Kerala Land Assignment Act. The decision is learned to have been taken in a haste without looking into the legal aspects and also defying the Land Board and Revenue department's contention that it will only create a precedence for regularisiing illegal lands held by encroachers.

Though the cabinet decided last week to take over the 50 acres of land from the 150 acres that the Trust possessed, highly placed officials fear that the decision was a move to regularise its remaining land. Though the land is being taken back, the government has not taken any decision with respect to the remaining land, which the Land Board has already stated that if a part of the land is utilised for any other purpose than for which it is exempted, then the exemption will be lost and the land will be vested with the government.

The Land Board and the revenue department had from the beginning noted that the whole land belonged to the government and no regularisation can be given. They found that the Trust had got ‘’purchase certificate’’ for the land that is only given for cultivating tenants as per the Kerala Land reforms Act. As per the land reforms Act, purchase certificate is issued only to natural Human beings and not to companies or trusts. As such the Land Board had informed that the whole land belonged to the Government.

With respect to the remaining land in possession of the trust, Revenue Minister Adoor Prakash said that a decision can be taken only after looking all legal aspects. When pointed out that the Land Board has raised objections, he said ''the trust claims to have all documents. On the remaining land, the government will have to look into all the legal issues related to it.''

Source: The Newindianexpress

http://epaper.newindianexpress.com/425278/The-New-Indian-Express-Thiruvananthapuram/26-01-2015#page/5/1

No need for more Medical Colleges in Kerala: IMA

At a time when the state government has embarked on a mission to set up medical colleges in all the districts, the Indian Medical Association, which is the largest group of medical professionals, has affirmed that there was no need for new medical colleges in the public as well as private sector and that the Non Objection Certificates for starting new colleges should be immediately withdrawn. 

The IMA has called for a detailed study by the government to see if there was a need for another medical college. The new revelations have been concluded in the preliminary report of the IMA on medical education sector in the state. ''The preliminary report of the Committee on Medical Education has been submitted and we would come out with a detailed report in the coming days,'' IMA state president Sreejith N Kumar said. 

Noting that a need based assessment should be done, he said that the government has to think of improving the treatment facility rather than setting up medical colleges. 

Committee Convenor and Kerala Government Medical College Teachers Association state president Dr K Mohanan said ''we have stated that there was no need for any medical college in the public as well as private sector till the available resources are utilised for the upgradation of the existing medical colleges. Apart from this, we also demand that the NOC given for setting up new medical colleges should be withdrawn.''

Mohanan said that most of the private medical colleges do not have the necessary infrastructure and adequate staff. These colleges situated in remote regions with only a few patients normally import patients during times of MCI inspection. Moreover, there are no permanent teachers and most of them work on daily wages and are paraded during the time of MCI inspection for getting recognition. ''All these show where the medical education system in the state is heading for,'' he said.

The IMA also recommends developing district and taluk hospitals instead of pumping in money for the medical colleges. ''If the government wants to provide the best treatment facility, it should not think of Medical colleges but should have to concentrate in augmenting the facilities at the primary level of treatment,'' the convenor said. The Association also calls for upgrading the district hospitals to super specialty hospitals and for development specialty care in the block level.

Coordinator Dr Vasudevan said that there was no deficiency of undergraduates in the state and the need of the hour is more specialisation. ''The focus should be on improving whatever we have and develop at least some of the centres as excellence of treatment units,'' he said. Vasudevan also said that the committee will be holding meetings in different parts of the state before the report is finalised.

source: The Newindian express

http://epaper.newindianexpress.com/405614/The-New-Indian-Express-Thiruvananthapuram/29-12-2014#page/3/1

Govt makes wrong diagnosis to strengthen health sector

Even as the government is moving ahead with setting up Medical Colleges in all the districts, the medical fraternity in the state points out lack of vision and plan on the part of government in strengthening the health sector of the state. Instead of medical colleges that bring out undergraduates, they call for strengthening the treatment facilities at secondary and primary level hospitals.

The government is thinking of new medical colleges even as the medical colleges at Palakkad, Manjeri and Idukki is likely to loss the Medical Council of India recognition. Kerala Government Medical College Teachers Association (KGMCTA) secretary Dr C P Vijayan opined that the state did not need more medical colleges for increasing the treatment facilities but the need of the hour was to increase the treatment facilities at the primary and secondary level of hospitals, including the district, taluk and general hospitals.

He also said that the government should only go for new Medical Colleges after conducting a proper study if these institutions that only produce undergraduates are needed. Even the allotment of Medical Colleges in the private sector should be looked into, he added.

There are already 30 medical colleges in the state recognised by the Medical Council of India with about 3350 seats available. As per records, about 55,000 doctors have registered with the State Medical Council. When the doctor patient ratio as per WHO is 1: 1000, the state has a ratio of 1:700, which is far better than the universal standards. It is at this juncture that the state government is setting up new colleges as per its policy. Moreover, it is also alleged that the existing medical colleges though having sufficient funds are lagging in academic, research and training activities as well as patient care.

Source: the newindian express

http://epaper.newindianexpress.com/364935/The-New-Indian-Express-Thiruvananthapuram/30-10-2014#page/5/1