The Hindu : Front Page : Absence of specialists hampers health camps

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jul 04, 2007
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Absence of specialists hampers health camps

Shastry V. Mallady

Madurai hospital experts not turning up, says Health Department

MADURAI: The State’s public health project, ‘Varumun Kappom,’ is facing difficulties in getting specialist doctors required for examining patients in southern districts.

Several camps conducted so far in Madurai district could not get all the six specialist doctors on a single day, forcing the Health Department to refer patients to the Government Rajaji Hospital here, according to official sources.

“The aim of ‘Varumun Kappom’ is to provide specialised medical attention at the patients’ doorsteps. But this objective stands defeated with specialists from GRH not turning up. Patients are being examined only by doctors at Primary Health Centres,” officials told The Hindu here on Tuesday.

The matter was taken up with the Health Secretary and Director of Public Health recently. “We are expecting some directions to the specialists concerned to attend the camps without fail.”

A major complaint of the Health Department staff is that even though vehicles are arranged for GRH doctors’ transportation to rural/interior villages for the camps, they are saying “no” at the last minute thereby forcing camp organisers to look for alternative arrangements.

Launched on January 1, the ‘Varumun Kappom’ scheme aims at taking special medical care to villages across the State along with scanning/ECG facilities.

As per the proposal, each camp is to have specialists in dentistry, paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology, dermatology and ophthalmology, but in many camps only one or two take part.

With practical difficulties coming in way every time, the department has now requested the Health Secretary to appoint doctors on a ‘contract basis’ solely for the scheme.

While the camp held on Monday at Kulamangalam in Madurai district evoked a similar response, the officials are keeping their fingers crossed for the next one on Thursday at Koothiarkundu near here.

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