CPI (M) stages demo against dedicating Thoothukudi Medical College Hospital’s super specialty block for maternity, child care

Condemning the Tamil Nadu Government’s decision to dedicate the upcoming super speciality block of Thoothukudi Medical College Hospital for maternity and child care, the CPI (M) staged a demonstration here on Wednesday.

The super specialty block of Thoothukudi Government Medical College Hospital (TKMCH), which has come-up at Third Mile on an outlay of ₹136.35 crore and waiting for inauguration, has been rechristened as Government Super Speciality Hospital for Maternity and Child Health considering the huge number obstetrics, gynaecology and paediatric cases coming to TKMCH everyday.

The TKMCH, under the ‘Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram’, was sanctioned a super speciality block with 687 beds spread in seven floors at a cost of ₹136.35 crore. Of this ₹ 16 crore would be spent for procuring hi-tech diagnostic and surgical equipment while the civil work of this block would be completed on an outlay of ₹118.35 crore. The total amount of ₹136.35 crore would be shared by the Union Government and the State Government on 60:40 ratio.

Since the TKMCH receives more number of obstetrics, gynaecology and paediatric cases throughout the year, the super specialty block has been rechristened by the Tamil Nadu Government as Government Super Specialty Hospital for Maternity and Child Health.

The number of in-patients treated at TKMCH by these three branches since 2022 is still higher. The hospital has taken care of 3,61,750 obstetrics and gynaecology, 88,775 paediatric medicine and 11,389 paediatric surgery in-patients to put the total number of in-patients from these three branches at a staggering 4,61,914 since 2022. On an average, the hospital had admitted 9,623.21 in-patients every month over the past 4 years.

At the same time, the number of out-patients received in nephrology, medical oncology, neuro medicine, radio oncology, medical gastroenterology, neuro surgery, urology, plastic surgery and surgical oncology departments since 2022 is only 2,49,419 with the monthly average of 5,196 patients and the number of in-patients treated at TKMCH in all these nine departments put together since 2022 is 1,38,182 with the monthly average of 2,878 patients.

Hence, the Tamil Nadu Government has decided to dedicate it as ‘Super Speciality Hospital for Maternity and Child Health’.

Condemning this decision, the CPI (M) organised a demonstration near Chidambara Nagar bus-stop on Wednesday. The protestors, led by CPI (M) district secretary K.P. Arumugam, urged the government to withdraw its order of rechristening of the facility and dedicating it for maternity and child health.

“Instead, it should be multi-disciplinary super speciality hospital, as originally planned and create the medical facilities for treating the patients ailing from all sorts of diseases and disorders,” the protestors said.