Minister meets GH deans, lauds transplant team at Omandurar

CHENNAI: Health minister Ma Subramanian along with health secretary J Radhakrishnan held a meeting with 36 deans of government college hospitals at Government Multi-speciality Hospital, Omandurar, on Wednesday.

Several issues were discussed including the recent incident where freshers of Madurai Medical College took oath in Sanskrit. “The DME visited the hospital and inquired in person,” clarified Ma Subramanian. “Also, dean of the medical college assured me that it won’t be repeated. We’ve been warned to follow protocols issued by the State Health Department.”

He also recalled 3 such incidents reported at other government college hospitals including Ramanathapuram. “Even the Union government clarified that they haven’t made an announcement or changes regarding the oath,” he pointed out.

In the last one year, out of 110 schemes announced by the State Health Department, at least 36 have been implemented at all government college hospitals in Tamil Nadu, the minister said.

The minister also congratulated the medical team at the Government Multi-speciality hospital in Omandurar for successfully performing 9 heart transplants in the last 5 years.

Last week, a 19-year-old was brain dead at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital. The teenager’s heart was transplanted to a 30-year-old man from Thanjavur. Similarly, another brain-dead person’s heart was transported from Vellore CMC hospital to Apollo in 93 minutes.

Said the minister, “During a meeting with deans of medical colleges last month, we urged them to meet the needs of organ transplants faster.”