The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Counselling centre needs counsellors

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Wednesday, Feb 25, 2009
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Counselling centre needs counsellors

Karthik Madhavan

It is remaining closed for about a year now

PHOTO: M. GOVARTHAN

Neglected: Patient Counselling Centre at the Government Hospital, Gobichettipalayam. –

GOBICHETTIPALAYAM: Patient Counselling Centre at the Government Hospital here is closed. It has remained closed for about a year now, says a hospital source. The centre, managed by Indian Red Cross, is supposed to engage three counsellors to counsel patients.

The counsellors, all women, with social work qualification counsel patients round-the-clock at out-patients, in-patients and post-operative wards on medicine and health and also in labour ward. In short, they advice patients on health issues and dos and don’ts, for which the Government pays the NGO Rs. 5,000 a counsellor a month.

The NGO in turn pays the counsellors. The centre isalso supposed to set up ‘May I Help You’ counter at the hospital to help patients and others. And also publicise about its services.

The Government set up such a system under the World Bank-assisted Tamil Nadu Health System’s Project in 2006.

In Erode district, the Government selected the hospitals in Erode and Gobichettipalayam. At each of the locations, the Government selected and entered into an agreement with an NGO to run the show. In Gobichettipalayam it chose, Indian Red Cross. Soon after the agreement, Indian Red Cross appointed three women and managed the counselling centre from July 2006 to February 2008.

Thereafter the counsellors left and the centre is now closed. In the midst of this Indian Red Cross managed to renew the contract for another two years till June 2010. The Indian Red Cross response is that they are unable to get the right candidates.

Girls with social work qualification are not willing to work round-the-clock here, says Thomas V. John, chairman.

In Erode, however, three counsellors are working round-the-clock. The centre there is managed by Erode Blood Bank, the NGO. Mr. John cites paucity of candidates as a reason.

“We don’t get the right candidates, for social work is taught in only two colleges in the district.”

He adds that to fill the posts he has talked to colleges and is in the process of selecting candidates. Mr. John also denies the allegation of misappropriation funds meant for the counsellors.

Joint Director of Health, Erode, V. Nagarajan, who is the vice-chairman of the health systems project in the district, says he has asked the NGO to appoint counsellors at the earliest.

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