The Kerala government has begun work to end a practice that has long drawn criticism of its public health system: patients admitted to hospital floors due to overcrowding.The initiative will be launched first at Government Medical University Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram and Government Medical College Hospital, Kozhikode, Health Minister K Muraleedharan said on Sunday. PTI.One of the first steps will be to shift the fever clinic of Thiruvananthapuram Medical College to Pulayanarkotta Hospital, where around 200 beds will be made available for patients.The move follows a decision taken on Saturday in a meeting chaired by Muraleedharan with senior officials of the health and medical education departments and heads of major district hospitals. PTI reports
Focus on reducing overcrowding
Muraleedharan said the government also plans to tackle congestion at Kozhikode Medical College by constructing a new block with Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds.“Patients are also being accommodated on the floor in Kozhikode Medical College. There is enough space in the campus to set up an additional ward and shift patients there. The aim is to completely eliminate the practice of admitting patients on the floor,” the minister said.According to the councillor, the initiative is coordinated by the director of medical education and the director of health services.The issue of patients being cared for on hospital floors had recently drawn widespread criticism of the health department. The government’s latest plan now shifts the focus from managing overcrowding to preventing total floor entries, according to PTI.