Latest news with #VeronicaMary
The Hindu
12-06-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
Only one delivery in two years at Thandikudi GH on Kodaikanal hills, reveals RTI reply
Due to insufficient doctors and facilities at Thandikudi Government Hospital at Kodaikanal hills, only one delivery has been performed in the last two years, said a Right To Information (RTI) Act reply. Thandikudi GH, one of the three GHs in the hills, caters to the need of several hundreds of people, mostly Scheduled Tribes, residing in areas of Mangalamkombu, Malaiyakadu, Kottakombu, Kadukuthadi Pudur, among others. For the immediate medical assistance of the tribal people residing in those areas, Poolathur Primary Health Centre (PHC) best serves their needs, said the residents. But, for serious health conditions, pregnancies and accident treatments, the patients have to visit either of the three GHs – Thandikudi, Pannaikadu and Kodaikanal. For the people residing around the Thandikudi GH, accessing the other two GHs in the hills would mean travelling more than 25km to 30km. As the sole doctor at Thandikudi GH, due to the insufficient doctors and health workers, could not serve all the people, refers them either to GHs at Pannaikadu and Kodaikanal, located more than 25km to 30km away. Backing the claim of the people, a RTI data gathered by Madurai based health activist A. Veronica Mary specified that the Thandikudi GH has only one doctor in place of the sanctioned post of three doctors. While only 11 postings of pharmacists, nurses, technicians, of the 18 postings are filled, two positions of doctors and seven positions of paramedical staff remained vacant, the RTI reply added. Despite the hospital having 20 beds and having recorded an outpatient visit of 65,679 in 2023 and 75,780 in 2024, only a handful of people have been admitted as inpatients. Such patients, who wanted to get admitted for delivering babies, treated for accident injuries, were referred to hospitals in places like Kodaikanal, Badlagundu and Dindigul, said Ms. Veronica Mary. 'As the hospital has ultrasound scan machine to monitor the condition of the foetus during the pregnant women prenatal tests, due to the unavailability of a radiologist, pregnant women are referred to other hospital even for their periodical monthly check ups,' she alleged. To substitute for the vacant positions and to manage the burden, the existing doctor must rush to the hospital on 'call duty' even during odd hours, she stated. When the pregnant tribal women had to get admitted to hospital during their labour pain, they had to rush to the far away hospitals through the only mode of transport – bus, Ms. Veronica Mary noted. Due to unawareness about getting prior admission in hospital for delivery, most of the tribal women, instead of taking long-distance travel, preferred to deliver babies in their houses, she pointed out. 'Though they deliver their babies safely and mishaps are hardly reported, thanks to assistance of village elders, the hospital exists for such purposes,' she added. A health official in the district said the ultrasound machine was installed and a used one from a different hospital. 'As it collapsed recently, it is currently not in use,' the official added. Regarding doctors, the official said that as the GH was located in a very remote area, doctors preferred not to work there. 'Though appointments were due to the unwillingness of doctors, the positions still remain vacant,' the official noted.
The Hindu
03-06-2025
- General
- The Hindu
GRH doctors perform cochlear implant surgery on 238 children in nine years
A total of 238 children have successfully undergone cochlear implant surgery at Government Rajaji Hospital here in the last nine years, a Right to Information Act reply has revealed. According to A. Veronica Mary, a Madurai-based social activist, who filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) with the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court seeking cochlear implant surgery at GRH, said that the surgery would at least cost ₹10 lakh if done in a private hospital. As the procedure involves surgically inserting an electronic device into the inner ear (cochlea) to restore hearing for individuals with severe to profound hearing loss, it would be great help for children who have lost hearing in the birth or during their childhood, she added. The court, learning of its importance, that too in a government hospital in a place like Madurai, which could serve many children from rural areas across the district and many southern districts, ordered the government to consider providing the surgery at GRH, said Ms. Veronica Mary. Following that, in 2016, the surgery was successfully conducted on two children at GRH. And, in that year itself, an additional 34 children benefited from the procedure, she stated. The RTI, which was sought to learn about the success rate of the surgery in the hospital, has shown how it has been benefiting the children from the district and other nearby areas, she added. Further, she noted that though the number of surgeries has seen a downfall in years between, it had still helped a total of 228 children. The surgery, which has been rendered to 36 people in 2016, has been done to 25 in 2017, 32 in 2018, 39 in 2019, 8 in 2020, 23 in 2021, 38 in 2022, 16 in 2023, 10 in 2024 and one in 2025, the RTI data said. As about two in 1,000 children are congenitally affected with hearing loss in the country, as per the available studies, A. Alaguvadivel, Professor and Head of ENT department, Madurai Medical College, said that the treatment was essential and helpful for them. The procedure could be done only within 2-6 years, he said. Many parents, especially from rural areas, were hesitant to opt for surgery to address the issue, but by the time they were convinced for the surgery most of the children would have cross the age limit, he noted. People think of hearing aid as a potential option, but the accuracy achieved through surgery could not be expected from a hearing aid, Dr. Alaguvadivel said. Further, post-surgery, the children would have to undergo Auditory-Verbal Therapy (AVT), to attain the full benefit of the surgery, he added. While they would be asked to visit the hospital at least twice a week for two years for the therapy after the surgery, many would not continue with the therapy. Due to that, the full benefit could be experienced by the children, he added. Many were hesitant to undergo the surgery due to the practical complications attached with the procedure, but he noted that the doctors, after identifying the issue during the screening which would be done following the birth, would elaborate the parents on the perks of undergoing the surgery. L. Arul Sundaresh Kumar, Dean, GRH, said, 'The surgery was just 40% of the treatment, the rest lies in the hands of the parents who train them and bring them to the hospital for auditory visual therapy.' 'There has been a paradigm shift in the availability of options of communication for people with hearing problems. While it started with just a sign language as a means of communication, it had evolved to the level of surgery and also therapies,' he added. As the equipment used in surgery was same for all people, the success depends on the post-surgery therapy for language understanding, Dr. Arul Sundaresh Kumar said.
