The Hindu : Kerala News : Health and family welfare sector to get a boost

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Feb 05, 2005

Kerala

Kerala

Health and family welfare sector to get a boost

By Our Staff Reporter

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, FEB. 4. Additional seats in three Medical Colleges, super speciality blocks for Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode Medical College Hospitals, strengthening of Oncology and Psychiatry Departments in Medical College Hospitals and tele-medicine project with the support of the Indian Space Research Organisation are some of the major budget proposals in the area of health and family welfare.

The State Government will seek the permission of the Centre for additional 50 seats each at Thrissur, Kottayam and Alappuzha Medical Colleges. With this, the total number of medicine seats will go up from 700 to 850.

A sum of Rs.200 lakhs has been set apart for commissioning a 10-storied super speciality block at Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital. The super speciality complex at Kozhikode Medical College Hospital will be commissioned in 2005-06. The increase in the incidence of cancer requires immediate intervention and this demands the strengthening of the Oncology Departments in major Government Medical Colleges, it has been pointed out.

An outlay of Rs.150 lakhs has been proposed for augmenting the Psychiatry Department in the Medical Colleges in Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur and Kozhikode. The Mental Health Centres in these three districts will also be strengthened.

All district hospitals are to have 10-bedded psychiatry wards, while 15 selected taluk hospitals too would have psychiatry units.

Trauma care

The Trauma Care units in Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode Medical Colleges will become functional in 2005-06. The tele-health and education programme is to be implemented with the help of ISRO, Bangalore.

A Regional Institute of Ophthalmology will be developed at Kozhikode at an estimated cost of Rs.25 lakhs, to serve Malabar area. Regional laboratories are to be set up at Ernakulam and Kozhikode under the Drugs Control Department.

The health needs of tribal population will be attended to by starting outreach clinics, with the help of specialist doctors in medical colleges. The budget proposals also outline projects by the Kerala Health Research and Welfare Society to start rain-harvesting measures in medical college and district hospitals. The Society will start an IV fluid manufacturing unit in Malabar area and an Ayurveda treatment centre at Wayanad, with the help of SC/ST Department.

The Kottayam Medical College is to get a Cardiology Cath laboratory at Rs.25 lakhs and a community ward at Rs.5 lakhs. An allocation of Rs.20 lakh has been made for a new building for Vythiri hospital and Rs.100 lakhs for a new building for Wayanad district hospital. The Government Hospital in Aluva will be provided Rs. 70 lakhs for building a Centenary Block.

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