Latest news with #HDS
The Hindu
30-06-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
After doctor's FB post on issues affecting patient care, govt.-appointed panel visits Thiruvananthapuram MCH
The controversy kicked off by the Facebook post penned by the Head of Urology department at Thiruvananthapuram Government Medical College Hospital, lamenting over systemic issues affecting patient care, continued to dominate political and social discourse in Kerala well into the third day. Meanwhile, a four-member committee instituted by the Health Minister to look into the issues raised by Dr. Haris Chirackal, relating to the delays in procurement and local purchase of equipment/accessories in Thiruvananthapuram MCH, visited the hospital on Monday (June 30, 2025). The committee, comprising B. Padmakumar, Principal; S. Gomathy, Head of Nephrology of Alappuzha Government MCH; T.K. Jayakumar, Superintendent; and A. Rajesh, Head of Urology at Kottayam Government MCH, recorded statements from Dr. Haris as well as other heads of departments at Thiruvananthapuram MCH on the manner of equipment/accessories purchase, process delays they encounter and how the systemic issues were affecting patient care and service delivery. Numerous hurdles While Dr. Haris explained the hurdles he was facing, other heads of department also spoke about the outdated and highly bureaucratic purchase procedures and shortage of funds that was affecting the functioning of major departments. The committee is learnt to have enquired about previous occasions when procedures/surgeries were stalled because of the non-availability of equipment/accessories. They have also sought to examine the purchase files at Thiruvananthapuram MCH over the last one year. The report is expected to be submitted to the government at the earliest. Health Minister Veena George, while acknowledging the systemic issues pointed out by Dr. Haris, had claimed that despite all its limitations, public hospitals were serving a large number of people and that overcrowding was one of the reasons why public hospitals were unable to render healthcare services efficiently. The government's failure to reimburse public hospitals for free treatment provided under Karunya Arogya Suraksha Padhati is one of the main reasons why Hospital Development Societies (HDS) are always short of funds. The only source of income for HDS is the small user fee it charges for some procedures from the paying category of patients. But over the last 15 years, all departments have grown and their requirements too have grown. Unlike before, there just isn't enough funds to meet the increased demands for accessories/equipment. Patients thus end up having to pool money for the HDS to purchase these accessories and consumables so that procedure/surgeries are not stalled. The MCH is also bound by Government's purchase rules and procedures, which are often cumbersome and tedious. While these may be necessary for maintaining general financial discipline, applying these to busy tertiary health care institutions will only affect the efficiency of the latter's functioning, it is pointed out . Doctors also point out that the bureaucracy at various levels – right from the offices of the Superintendent and the DME to the Health department administrative wing at the Secretariat – are least interested in speeding up or easing the procedural hurdles. Protests Monday also saw protest demonstrations by Congress activists against the 'unhealthy practices' in the health sector. While the Youth Congress activists protested before the Thiruvananthapuram MCH, Mahila Congress activists marched to the official residence of Veena George and staged a dharna there. Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan announced the setting up of a Health Commission by the UDF, under the leadership of S.S. Lal, a public health professional and a consultant with the UN, to study the complexities that have evolved in the public health sector over the last decade and to make suitable recommendations for the long-term. In a statement here, Mr. Satheesan said that the Health Commission will be submitting its preliminary report within three months and the final and comprehensive report in six months. The commission's report will be the basic document on which the UDF will put forth a new health policy, Kerala Health Vision 2050.
The Hindu
28-06-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
Thiruvananthapuram medical college scrambles for explanation after Urology head's social media lament
A Facebook post by the Head of Urology at Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, lamenting over his helplessness and inability to provide the best of care to his patients because of systemic issues, has hit headlines in the State, with the college authorities scrambling to give their version of the story and dismissing the social media post as a 'temperamental outburst'. In his post, Harris Chirakkal penned his anguish over having to apologise red-faced to a 23-year-old boy – who was to undergo a scheduled endourology procedure on Friday – for cancelling his surgery at the eleventh hour. Dr. Chirakkal wrote that he was forced to postpone the procedure as the equipment required for the same was unavailable at the hospital, even though his request for purchasing the equipment had been pending with the hospital development society (HDS) for months. He said that he was putting his apology before the public because he was aware of how much the poor depended on this large public sector hospital for affordable care and the hardships they underwent to find money for care (some of the procedures are charged a user fee by the HDS). He wrote that though he was committed to providing the best of care to his patients, the red tape and bureaucratic harassment was getting the better of him. He said that despite heading a speciality department, he did not have any purchasing power to ensure the availability of necessary equipment in his department and was forced to be at the mercy of many administrative powers that be. He penned that he was so dejected that he did not care about the consequences of his open outburst. Authorities say However, with the post making media headlines, the Director of Medical Education (DME), the Principal, and the Superintendent sought to explain on Saturday that Dr. Chirakkal was overreacting and that his post was intended to malign the reputation of the oldest medical college in the State. They explained that equipment was purchased by the HDS as and when HoDs put up purchase requests. However, a single procedure had to be postponed on Friday because of the sudden malfunctioning of an equipment and it was a technical issue which delayed the purchase of the same. The DME said that an explanation would be sought from Dr. Chirakkal about his social media post. The viral post was later removed by Dr. Chirakkal as the issue escalated, but not before it was shared widely on social media. Senior medical college officials confided that these issues were happening because of the outdated rules and procedures which insisted that any purchase above ₹1 lakh in medical colleges has to be cleared by the District Collector. 'In a major tertiary care centre, where complex cases and procedures are taken up round the clock, such outdated procedures for equipment maintenance and purchase are an impediment to the efficient day-to-day functioning of the hospital. The government and the administration should be correcting these anomalies instead of blaming doctors for being 'emotional,' a senior doctor said.
Online Citizen
06-06-2025
- Online Citizen
Former transport minister S Iswaran released after serving sentence under home detention
SINGAPORE: Former transport minister S Iswaran has completed his sentence and is no longer under the custody of the Singapore Prison Service (SPS), according to an announcement made on 6 June 2025. The SPS confirmed that Iswaran's emplacement on the Home Detention Scheme (HDS) has ended. His release follows several months under the scheme, which allows inmates to reintegrate under supervision. Iswaran was sentenced on 3 October 2024 to 12 months' imprisonment after pleading guilty to five corruption-related charges. He began serving his sentence on 7 October 2024 and was placed on home detention on 7 February 2025. According to The Straits Times, his early release came under Singapore's Conditional Remission System (CRS) and HDS, both designed to promote rehabilitation while maintaining strict monitoring protocols. SPS previously said Iswaran was assessed as suitable for early release due to his low risk of reoffending, good conduct in custody, and strong family support network. The charges against him included accepting luxury benefits from Ong Beng Seng, chairman of Singapore GP, and David Lum Kok Seng, managing director of Lum Chang Holdings. One of the key incidents was a trip to Doha in December 2022, valued at approximately S$20,850 (US$15,500), which was fully paid for by Ong. Iswaran also faced charges of attempting to obstruct justice when he later reimbursed S$5,700 for a business-class flight initially paid by Ong. This occurred after learning that the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) had seized a flight manifest as part of their inquiry. Although prosecutors initially sought a jail term of six to seven months, the court imposed a 12-month sentence, citing the seriousness of the offences.
Time of India
18-05-2025
- Health
- Time of India
NGOs barred from donating food at premises of Government General Hospital in Guntur
1 2 3 Guntur: The hospital development society (HDS) of Government General Hospital (GGH) in Guntur has made a decision that has left many in shock. The society has decided not to allow private individuals and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to organize food donation camps within the hospital premises, citing sanitation issues as the reason. This decision has been met with widespread criticism, with many questioning the logic behind it. The HDS has instead decided to collect additional charges from NGOs if they still want to donate food to the poor, including the families of patients. This move is being seen as a deterrent to charity organizations and NGOs that have been providing essential services to the needy. The GGH provides free food to patients and one attendant, but the reality is that each patient is usually accompanied by at least two to three attendants, most of whom come from far-off places. These attendants often rely on private canteens or food donation camps for their meals. In the past, charity organizations and NGOs have played a vital role in providing food to these attendants. One such initiative was the Madhurannam canteen, which was set up by former minister Cherukuvada Rangantha Raju of YSRCP. The canteen provides sumptuous food to around 1,000 to 1,500 people per day. However, despite such initiatives, hundreds of people still wait for charity organizations to visit the GGH and distribute food packets. The decision to ban charity organizations from entering the hospital has been met with strong opposition. A social activist, K Rajendraprasad, has expressed his outrage, stating that the GGH should deploy additional sanitation workers to keep the food distribution areas clean instead of banning charity organizations. In a related development, the HDS has also resolved to suspend its request for setting up an Anna canteen in the hospital. This decision has been met with disappointment, as the Anna canteen would have provided much-needed relief to thousands of poor people. The contrast between the GGH's decision and the agriculture market yard's initiative to set up a free food canteen is stark. The market yard spends over Rs 50 lakh per year to feed farmers, despite having an Anna canteen nearby. The GGH's decision to prioritize sanitation concerns over the needs of the poor has left many questioning its priorities.
