Within days of the Kerala Government Medical Officers’ Association issuing a serious chargesheet against the LDF Government’s all-round failure in controlling the Covid-19 pandemic, civil society in Kasaragod, the northern most district has alleged that the State administration is showing step-motherly treatment to people by not utilising the state-of-the-art Covid Hospital built by the Tata Group.
“Though the hospital with more than 500 beds was handed over to the State administration in September 2010, the Department of Health has not bothered to appoint the required number of doctors, nurses, para-medical staff and other employees. This is gross injustice as the district of Kasaragod does not have sufficient hospitals and beds to treat the Covid-19 patients,” said Sukumaran Periyachoor, a former principal of Government Higher Secondary School who is a leading social activist.
Though the Tata Group had constructed a hospital with 550 beds, the State Government had not admitted more than 120 patients in this Covid treatment hospital. “The Department of Health had sanctioned 190 new staff including 40 doctors to this hospital. But only 14 doctors have been appointed till now. Doctors are reluctant to join this hospital for want of infrastructure facilities and canteen,” said Sukumaran who has been single-handedly knocking at the doors of authorities with a request to speed up the commissioning of this hospital.
Madhusoodanan Mattannoor, a resident of Kasaragod, blamed politics and political parties for the delay in making the hospital fully operational. “The tragedy we face is a result of the game of one-upmanship played by the ruling CPI(M). The Government should take decisions instead of waiting for clearance by the party commissars. Health is a priority area while the Marxists in the district want everything to be staged as per their wishes,” said Madhusoodanan.
Kasaragod does not have enough the mandatory hospitals to take care of the Covid-19 cases, said P Rajesh, a colleague of Sukumaran. “We are still dependent on hospitals in Mangalore district of Karnataka. The claim of Kerala Government that the State has health care facilities of global standard stands exposed as the KGMOA and IMA disclosed unpleasant facts recently,” said Rajesh.
D Sajith Babu, the district collector, sounded a warning to all concerned by stating that hospitalization of Covid-19 patients would be the biggest challenge faced by the district administration as the number of pandemic cases increase in Kasaragod.
The district has 41, 225 Covid-19 patients as on Friday evening, said a release by the Department of Health. K K Shylaja, the minister for health had assured the people in September 2020 that the Tata Hospital would become fully operational in three months.