JOIN USSurgical route to enjoy holidays
A high-level inquiry has been ordered into reports that three doctors at the Government Hospital, Cherthala conducted 21 caesarean procedures in two days. They did this apparently to take full advantage of the holidays of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday along with the weekend holidays.
Health Minister P K Sreemathy has deputed a team of top health department officials headed by director of health to probe the allegations and file a report at the earliest.
“This matter is very serious. I don’t know how many doctors had gone on leave but it was unfortunate especially at a time when we are doing everything to improve the service delivery at the state-run hospitals,” she said.
The surgeries were conducted on Tuesday and Wednesday. As the babies and mothers piled up, there were not enough beds in the hospital to accommodate all of them. “We found 13 women lying on the floor with the newborns without enough privacy for feeding them,” said a local journalist.
There was not enough water supply at the hospital and the bathrooms and toilets were also not being kept clean. Unhygienic conditions were feared to attract infections for the women and their newborns.
Alappuzha district collector P Venugopal said he had sought a report from the district medical officer on the incident. The hospital authorities have also been directed to suspend all scheduled caesarian procedures.