Gynaecs fume as Thycaud hospital delivers new norm

Thiruvananthapuram: From now on assistant surgeons will take delivery of babies and oversee the childbirth at Women and Children’s Hospital at Thycaud, while the gynaecologists will be on call, according to a strange circular issued by the hospital superintendent.

The circular was issued by the superintendent under the specific instructions from the director of health services. The hospital records the highest number of childbirths after the SAT hospital in the district. On an average 500 deliveries take place in this hospital in a month.

Meanwhile, the doctors have come out in protest against the decision to deploy the assistant surgeons in the labour room when the gynaecologists are providing round-the-clock service here. This will also paralyze the functioning of the other departments since the assistant surgeons who are manning the duty of other wings, including casualty, will be now deployed in the labour rooms.

“This is the first time that assistant surgeons are being put on duty in labour rooms, which will only bring down the quality of the treatment,” said Dr G S Vijayakrishnan, district secretary of Kerala Government Medical Officers’ Association (KGMOA). “We cannot accept this and has asked the district medical officer to immediately withdraw the circular,” he said. “This will only lead to bring down the number of deliveries in the government hospitals. At present only 40% of the total deliveries are occurring in the government sector, which was 52% two years back,” said Vijayakrishnan.

“We have decided not to accept this circular since it will only put down the treatment standards of the hospital, which had once received NABH accreditation. Such a move should be treated as an attempt to sabotage its functioning,” said district president of KGMOA Dr L T Sanal Kumar.