24 X 7 specialty services: Keralam government-KGMOA to hold discussions
Government’s sudden announcement that it intended to offer specialty care services round the clock in selected district hospitals across the State came as a surprise for KGMOA, which was peeved that they were never taken into confidence before the decision was announced
The Kerala government has invited the Kerala Government Medical Officers’ Association (KGMOA) for a discussion on implementing a proposal to provide round-the-clock primary medical specialty care services in at least one district-level hospital in each of the State's districts. Health Minister K. Muraleedharan will chair the Sunday meeting.
The sudden announcement of the 24 x 7 service plan caught the KGMOA off guard, as they had not been consulted beforehand. The medical association argued that such a service was impractical with the current shortage of human resources, with 300 specialist positions vacant, and suggested that the government should create new posts or redeploy existing doctors.
The government, however, stated that data showed a mismatch between patient load, services, and human resources in many health centers, and that rationalizing the deployment of doctors could allow for the plan's implementation without immediate post creation. The Kollam District Medical Officer has already issued orders to redeploy doctors with postgraduate qualifications from peripheral institutions to Punalur, and redirect doctors from less busy institutions to replace those at peripheral locations.
KGMOA state president P.K. Sunil expressed appreciation for the government's invitation but emphasized the need to address concerns of doctors, stating that they have not been given clarity on how the initiative will be realized.
Written by urgent.news from The Hindu's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
