Latest news with #PMSSY
New Indian Express
22-06-2025
- Health
- New Indian Express
Land identified in Kozhikode most suitable for AIIMS, says Kerala government
KOCHI: At a time when Union minister Suresh Gopi has cast doubts on Kozhikode being selected to host the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Kerala, the state government has reaffirmed its decision in an affidavit, filed with the High Court, stating that the land in Kinaloor is most suitable for the premier institution. The government also said that the allegation that Kasaragod and other districts have been neglected in considering the site has no standing. The affidavit was filed in response to petitions challenging the decision. One of the petitioners — AIIMS Kasaragod Janakeeya Koottayma — sought a directive to resubmit a list to include Kasaragod as a potential site for the establishment of the medical institution, while Greater Piravom Development Forum, Ernakulam, sought to explore the feasibility of proposing land owned by the state government -- the first respondent -- at Mevalloor Newsprint Nagar at Velloor as an alternative. Opposing the pleas, the deputy secretary of the health department said the state has chosen Kinaloor as the most suitable location for establishing the AIIMS, considering various factors. Moreover, the government has taken all possible steps to develop medical facilities across the state, without discrimination. Action is being taken for establishing a medical college in Kasaragod district. The application has been submitted to the National Medical Commission and the government plans to enrol 50 students in the 2025-26 academic year itself, the official said. Last year, secretary of the central ministry of health and family welfare was requested to depute a team to study feasibility of the land earmarked in Kerala. Further, in a letter of the minister of health, the Union finance ministry was requested to give its 'in principle' approval for the AIIMS in Kerala and to include the same in the next phase of the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY). Project updates
The Hindu
16-06-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
Surgical Gastro dept. at Thiruvananthapuram MCH celebrates golden jubilee
The Department of Surgical Gastroenterology, Government Medical College Hospital (MCH), Thiruvananthapuram, the very first department to be established in a medical college to deal exclusively with complex gastrointestinal (GI) conditions needing surgical treatment in the country, has turned 50 years. A two-day event, including a continuing medical education programme and an alumni get together was organised here over the weekend to celebrate the golden jubilee of the department. Established in 1975 under the leadership of N. Rajan, the Surgical Gastroenterology department here has trained many of the renowned and leading GI surgeons of the day, some of whom are currently heading major training centres in India and abroad. Working closely with the Department of Medical Gastroenterology, established in 1973, the Surgical Gastroenterology department worked its way up and soon, patients were being offered surgical treatment for Chronic pancreatitis and Portal hypertension, besides surgeries for GI cancers. The 22nd national conference of the Indian Society of Gastroenterology in 1981 was jointly hosted by the Medical and Surgical Gastroenterology departments, which was also an occasion to showcase the excellent academic and clinical work done in the field in this part of the country. The work done by the department grew in leaps and bounds as more faculty joined the department in the 80s. The Surgical Gastroenterology superspeciality (MCh) course was started in 1996 and it was at the time one of the few training centres in the country to offer the MCh programme. With the starting of the MCh course, patient care and training activities further improved, establishing the Department as a referral point for major GI surgical problems. The opening of the super specialty block in 2011, as part of the PMSSY project was another major milestone in improving patient care. The opening of the multi specialty block and the expansion of the critical care unit with state-of-the-art facilities in 2018-19, further expanded the field for Surgical Gastroenterology, which began managing several patients with critical GI issues. Major open and laparoscopic surgeries for GI cancers, pre-cancerous conditions and chronic diseases are carried out on a daily basis at the department now. It has also begun to carry out liver transplants in a public-private partnership mode, with the support of the transplant team from KIMSHEALTH and other sister specialities. The department has also brought out 25 publications in indexed journals and is currently conducting a randomised controlled trial in pancreatic surgery, apart from basic research in genetics and colon cancer.
Time of India
04-06-2025
- Health
- Time of India
SRN hosp to install advance machine for cancer treatment
Prayagraj: Swaroop Rani Nehru Hospital, under the Prime Minister's Health Protection Scheme (PMSSY), is set to install an HDR Brachytherapy machine for cancer treatment in the coming months. The project, initially proposed in 2016 as part of a Super Speciality Block, was temporarily shelved due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which redirected all available resources and infrastructure. According to the media in charge of SRN, Dr Santosh Kumar Singh, the medical college will soon procure the machine because the most crucial component—an underground shielded bunker required for its installation—has not been constructed. The layout is now ready, and work on the radiation-safe bunker has been initiated following communication with the state govt. Detailing what Brachytherapy is, Dr Singh said, "Brachytherapy is a highly focused type of internal radiation therapy used for cancers like cervical, prostate, breast and skin cancers. It involves placing a radioactive source directly inside or next to the tumour, thereby delivering a high dose of radiation to the cancer with minimal damage to surrounding healthy tissues." Unlike external beam radiation therapy (EBRT), brachytherapy ensures that the rest of the body is exposed to very little radiation, making it an effective and safe treatment modality. According to experts, "This form of radiation therapy is extremely useful for localised tumours, and once the machine is installed, it will benefit cancer patients across the region." Initially, in 2016, plans were approved to install this machine under PMSSY. By 2019, the Super Speciality Block was completed, but in 2020, during the peak of COVID-19, the building was repurposed into a dedicated COVID ward, postponing all other medical projects. "As of 2025, groundwork for bunker construction has restarted, and layout approvals are in place. Soon we will procure the machine, and the patients here at SRN will be able to get the state-of-the-art facility," said Dr Santosh, who is also the Associate Professor at MLN Medical College.
The Hindu
12-05-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
HLL-HITES preparing report on safety aspects of PMSSY block of Kozhikode MCH
HLL Infratech Services Ltd. (HLL-HITES), a public sector company that functioned as the consultant for the construction of the Surgical Super-speciality, Accident and Emergency Care Block of the Government Medical College Hospital, Kozhikode, is learnt to be preparing a report on the building's safety aspects. This comes in the wake of allegations regarding perceived lapses in construction, following two recent incidents involving suspected electrical failures on May 2 and May 5. A senior HLL-HITES official in Thiruvananthapuram told The Hindu on Monday (May 12) that the report's contents would be shared with the college principal and the district administration. A group of officials from the company had visited the hospital campus last week and held discussions with the authorities. The funds for the construction of the building were allocated under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY). A private company in Kottayam took up the works for HLL-HITES. The Union government spent ₹120 crore, while the State government contributed ₹75.93 crore for the seven-storey building, which was opened on March 4, 2023. There had been allegations that, although the structure was planned to include a Building Management System (BMS) connecting all safety instruments to a common server, it had not yet been made functional. It was pointed out that only the CCTV cameras were connected to the server. Allegedly, if the system had been fully operational, even minor security lapses could have been detected. Reports also suggested that the electrical wing of the Public Works department and the biomedical engineering wing under the Directorate of Medical Education had highlighted lapses in electrical wiring, construction faults, and issues with some of the installed equipment. However, the contractors reportedly stuck to their original plans. Water leakage was reported on one of the floors, and a false ceiling had collapsed once before the building's inauguration. The electrical wing of the PWD may not be in a position to make any alterations to the wiring system, as it is entirely concealed. Meanwhile, the HLL-HITES official dismissed the allegations. He claimed that the building had received all necessary approvals and a no-objection certificate from the authorities. He also added that the BMS was functioning during the two recent incidents, and the water sprinklers connected to it had activated on time.
The Hindu
10-05-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
Staff shortage, delay in creating new posts plague Kozhikode MCH
Two back-to-back fire-and-smoke breakouts at a recently built block of the Government Medical College Hospital, Kozhikode, have also brought to light the staff shortage and the delay in creating new posts plaguing the premier healthcare institution that caters to the medical needs of patients from at least five districts in north Kerala. As many as 151 patients had to be evacuated and shifted elsewhere after smoke billowed out of the UPS battery room attached to the MRI scanning unit on the ground floor of the new building, constructed under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY), on the night of May 2. Just three days later, scores of patients who were brought back to the building from other wards in the hospital had to be evacuated again when another fire broke out in an operating theatre on its sixth floor. According to a section of medical staff at the hospital, these incidents are also a result of not focussing on the creation of new posts in the new block. They claim that a similar situation is prevailing in the super-speciality block and the Tertiary Cancer Care Centre and Research Institute as well. Along with this, there is a crisis related to staff shortage across various blocks in the hospital. Sources say that there are 393 posts of doctors, of which 61 are vacant. There are 279 posts of assistant professors, of which 53 are vacant. Eight of the 61 posts of associate professors are vacant. Of the 53 posts of professors, three are vacant. The nurses-patient ratio, which should have been 1:4 ideally, is reportedly 1:50 now. The hospital is still following the staff pattern developed in the 60s, though the patient load has increased manifold over the years. In a letter to the Director of Medical Education in 2017, the then principal of the medical college had sought the creation of nine posts of professors, 18 associate professors, 35 assistant professors, and 37 senior resident doctors at the PMSSY block. Last December, the hospital authorities again sought the creation of new posts in the building, which was opened in 2023. At the tertiary cancer care centre, one post each of associate professor in radiotherapy and radiation physics, and two posts of assistant professors were proposed. One post of head nurse, eight posts of staff nurse, and four posts of nursing assistants were sought to be created, along with those of paramedical staff. Sajith Cherandathur, Kozhikode district president of the Kerala Government Nurses' Union (KGNU), says that the super-speciality block, opened in 1996, requires around 200-250 posts of nurses, none of which have been created so far. Meanwhile, the government proposed to create 150 new posts at the PMSSY block after the recent incidents. The KGNU functionaries point out that the shortage is now being addressed through either rearrangement of staff or by appointing temporary workers under the hospital development society. They demanded that, instead of this, the government appoint permanent staff through the Kerala Public Service Commission.
