Pay wards to be launched in all govt hospitals: Health minister

COIMBATORE: Pay wards will be introduced gradually in all government hospitals across the State, Health Minister Ma Subramanian said on Wednesday.

Addressing the media on the sidelines of the inaugural function of a new building for a super specialty hospital in Coimbatore Medical College and Hospital (CMCH), Subramanian said pay wards will be introduced in government hospitals in all districts.

Subramanian stated that the PET CT scan facility to diagnose cancer has been provided in hospitals in Coimbatore, Salem, Tirunelveli, Thanjavur, and Kancheepuram as well as in Kalaignar Centenary Super Specialty Hospital. “Earlier, only two hospitals had this facility,” the health minister said.

A drainage facility will be built at an estimated cost of Rs 10 crores to prevent stagnation of water in CMCH hospital premises during rains, the minister said. All vacancies in the health department will be filled up soon, claimed the minister adding that the vacancies will be filled through the counselling process for the first time.

“More than 70 vacancies have been filled up in Ooty and there are no vacancies now. Similar efforts have been taken to fill up vacancies in other places too. An announcement for recruiting 1,250 persons within one month through the Medical Services Recruitment Board (MRB) will be issued in a week. In the last month, the posting for 1,021 doctors and 331 lab technicians were filled,” Subramanian said.