Dr Harris says minister’s office ignored warnings, principal calls for inquiry
TVM medical college equipment controversy
Thiruvananthapuram: A controversy has broken out at the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital (MCH) over the shortage of essential equipment in the Urology Department. Dr Harris Chirakkal, the Head of the Department, has strongly criticised the Health Department for not acting, even after repeated complaints, reports On Manorama.
Speaking to the media on Sunday, Dr Harris revealed that he had informed the personal secretary of the Health Minister about the problem eight months ago, but no steps were taken.
"Other department heads are silent because they are afraid. Right now, surgeries are happening only after begging for equipment," he said.
Dr Harris had raised the issue on Facebook on Saturday, saying that surgeries were being delayed due to a lack of proper tools. In response, the Director of Medical Education (DME) said this claim was exaggerated and added that only one minor surgery had been postponed recently. Dr Vishwanathan K V, who is in-charge of the DME, stated that no emergency procedures were cancelled.
Dr Harris, however, said he spoke out after seeing patients suffer. "The waiting list for surgeries now stretches till August. Some patients are even forced to buy surgical equipment with their own money," he said. He added that he doesn’t know why the Health Department failed to respond and said he is ready to cooperate with any investigation.
On Saturday, Health Minister Veena George said she was unaware of the issue and has asked for a detailed report from the DME. She also shared data from the DME which stated that ₹67 lakh had been spent on equipment for the Urology Department, ₹37 lakh from government funds and the rest from the hospital’s development committee.
The minister also said that new equipment worth ₹2.5 crore is being purchased through KIIFB, following her instructions. As per the report, 2,898 urology surgeries were conducted last year. From January to May this year, 1,327 surgeries took place, with 312 in May alone. Between June 1 and 25, a total of 242 surgeries were performed.
Six surgeries were done each on Thursday and Friday. The hospital also carried out 20 kidney transplants last year and seven so far this year.
Meanwhile, the hospital’s Principal, Dr P K Jabbar, told Manorama News that he had not received any major complaints. He said, “The reason behind Dr Harris' social media post must be looked into seriously.”
Dr Jabbar also denied that a purchase request had reached his office and said that Dr Harris had not spoken to him directly about the issue.
He agreed with the Health Minister’s statement that the matter must be investigated thoroughly.
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EC notice to Bihar Deputy CM over alleged possession of two voter IDs
Patna: The Election Commission (EC) on Sunday issued a notice to Bihar Deputy Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Vijay Kumar Sinha over allegations of possessing two voter identity cards and being registered in two separate assembly constituencies.
The action follows a complaint by RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, who earlier in the day alleged that Sinha was a registered voter in both Lakhisarai and Bankipur assembly constituencies, located in different districts. Speaking to reporters, Yadav questioned what steps had been taken against Sinha.
According to officials, the notice, issued by the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) for Bankipur constituency, seeks an explanation from Sinha by August 14 on why he holds two voter IDs.
The controversy coincided with a protest by opposition MPs, including Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, and Sharad Pawar, who marched from Parliament House towards the EC headquarters in New Delhi against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls in Bihar. The protestors, wearing white caps marked with a red cross over the words “SIR” and “vote chori,” were stopped by police near Transport Bhawan.
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