Covid-19: Cabinet puts Kasaragod medical college hospital on fast track

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state cabinet that met here on Wednesday decided to create more posts at the newly set up medical college hospital in Kasaragod. It has been decided to create 273 posts, including those of 91 doctors.
The decision has been taken in view of the increasing number of Covid-positive cases in the district. The state cabinet decided to appoint 50% of the posts with immediate effect.
With this the 24-hour emergency wing, OP wing and specialty departments will start functioning at the hospital.At present, the hospital has been converted into a Covid-special hospital. With the joining of the doctors, the IP wing will also start functioning.
The highest number of Covid cases have been reported from Kasaragod. Of the 263 positive cases undergoing treatment in the state, 131 people are admitted in the district. In these circumstances, the government decided to create more posts in the MCH and start the functioning of the hospital on a regular basis at the earliest, said health minister K K Shailaja.
Presently, Kasaragod lacks specialty treatment due to lack of major hospitals both in the government and private sector. People are largely dependent on super-speciality hospitals in Mangaluru. However, now the Karnataka administration are not allowing patients from Kasaragod to enter Mangaluru.
It is against this backdrop that the state cabinet decided to begin the functioning of the medical college hospital at the earliest. The Covid-special hospital has already started functioning with facilities for isolation wards, and ICUs getting ready at a rapid pace. An expert team from Thiruvananthapuram medical college hospital has already reached the hospital to train the doctors in Kasaragod.
The new posts created include 91 doctors and 182 non-academic staff. Among the posts of doctors, four associate professors, 35 assistant professors, 28 senior residents and 24 junior residents. In the non-academic category, the posts have been created for nursing superintendent, nurses, hospital attendants, pharmacists, lab assistants, radiographer, etc.