Medicos say facilities at med colleges mediocre, seek steps for total revamp

The government has announced 9 new medical colleges in the State, while medical professionals allege that the existing medical colleges in various districts are not fairly equipped. Some of them even have a dearth of staff. 

Though the State Health Department officials acknowledge the issue of staff shortage, the officials assure that more medical colleges will produce more doctors and infrastructure will be improved.

The Madras Medical College (MMC) remains overcrowded with every day and the medical college hospital is being expanded to tower three. 

However, various issues related to lack of basic amenities such as inadequate seating, non-functional lifts, poor condition of stretchers, wheelchairs and other equipment highlight the lack of basic facilities.

At Stanley Medical College, Government Dental College and Kilpauk Medical College, the student hostels not only lack facilities of adequate drinking water, mess facility, cupboards and other amenities, but various parts of the building are in a bad shape and are broken.

Problems due to insufficient staff are discussed by the students at MMC, KMC and Stanley Medical College itself. “We work on shifts that last longer than 24 hours at least once a week as there are not enough PG doctors on duty in orthopaedics, cardiology and neurology, especially for night shifts. 

The issue is even worse in other districts such as Nilgiris, Dharmapuri, Ramanathapuram and Nagapattinam,” said Arvind Santhosh, member of Tamil Nadu Medical Students Association.

The Tambaram Taluk government hospital in Chrompet still lacks a full-time physician and many other government headquartered hospitals lack full-time services such as radiology, pathology and other diagnosis tests. 

Many patients from Tambaram, Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur, Chengalpattu, Permabalur, Vellore and other districts are dependent on tertiary care hospital in Chennai due to lack of adequate facilities in the respective districts, said Health Department officials.

However, despite the claims of Tamil Nadu Medical Council that the State has more than sufficient doctors, senior officials from the State Health Department acknowledge that though the average might imply that there are enough doctors, government hospitals in rural areas and several districts need an increasing number of doctors.

“We need more specialists in all the government hospitals and there are lesser number of PG graduates than what is required in the State. We have sufficient MBBS doctors but many of them move to other States. Ariyalur, Tiruvallur, Tiruvarur, Nilgiris, Cuddalore and other districts need more doctors round the clock,” said Public Health Director Dr K Kolandaisamy.

The authorities assure that the State Health Department will be able to streamline human resources and infrastructure in all the new medical colleges. “There will be no issues about the human resources in the medical colleges because medical recruitment board will have additional appointments after the promotion of the candidates,” Kolandaisamy added.

Speaking about infrastructure issues, he said that they have about a year’s time to make all the necessary facilities available at the hospital and that the services at the existing hospitals are being improved continuously.

At present, the State has 22 government medical colleges in 18 districts. A total of 3,947 MBBS and 985 BDS seats were offered this year. An additional 150 seats per college are expected to be added after the new medical colleges become functional.

Number of districts with medical colleges The government has announced 9 new medical colleges in the State, while medical professionals allege that the existing medical colleges in various districts are not fairly equipped. Some of them even have a dearth of staff. 

Though the State Health Department officials acknowledge the issue of staff shortage, the officials assure that more medical colleges will produce more doctors and infrastructure will be improved.

The Madras Medical College (MMC) remains overcrowded with every day and the medical college hospital is being expanded to tower three. However, various issues related to lack of basic amenities such as inadequate seating, non-functional lifts, poor condition of stretchers, wheelchairs and other equipment highlight the lack of basic facilities.

At Stanley Medical College, Government Dental College and Kilpauk Medical College, the student hostels not only lack facilities of adequate drinking water, mess facility, cupboards and other amenities, but various parts of the building are in a bad shape and are broken.

Problems due to insufficient staff are discussed by the students at MMC, KMC and Stanley Medical College itself. “We work on shifts that last longer than 24 hours at least once a week as there are not enough PG doctors on duty in orthopaedics, cardiology and neurology, especially for night shifts. 

The issue is even worse in other districts such as Nilgiris, Dharmapuri, Ramanathapuram and Nagapattinam,” said Arvind Santhosh, member of Tamil Nadu Medical Students Association.

The Tambaram Taluk government hospital in Chrompet still lacks a full-time physician and many other government headquartered hospitals lack full-time services such as radiology, pathology and other diagnosis tests. 

Many patients from Tambaram, Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur, Chengalpattu, Permabalur, Vellore and other districts are dependent on tertiary care hospital in Chennai due to lack of adequate facilities in the respective districts, said Health Department officials.

However, despite the claims of Tamil Nadu Medical Council that the State has more than sufficient doctors, senior officials from the State Health Department acknowledge that though the average might imply that there are enough doctors, government hospitals in rural areas and several districts need an increasing number of doctors.

“We need more specialists in all the government hospitals and there are lesser number of PG graduates than what is required in the State. We have sufficient MBBS doctors but many of them move to other States. Ariyalur, Tiruvallur, Tiruvarur, Nilgiris, Cuddalore and other districts need more doctors round the clock,” said Public Health Director Dr K Kolandaisamy.

The authorities assure that the State Health Department will be able to streamline human resources and infrastructure in all the new medical colleges. “There will be no issues about the human resources in the medical colleges because medical recruitment board will have additional appointments after the promotion of the candidates,” Kolandaisamy added.

Speaking about infrastructure issues, he said that they have about a year’s time to make all the necessary facilities available at the hospital and that the services at the existing hospitals are being improved continuously.

At present, the State has 22 government medical colleges in 18 districts. A total of 3,947 MBBS and 985 BDS seats were offered this year. An additional 150 seats per college are expected to be added after the new medical colleges become functional.