'Beds are patients' right': New Pulayanarkotta facility to ensure no more floor patients at Thiruvananthapuram Medical College

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a major initiative to de-congest the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital and ensure that no patient is forced to lie on the floor due to a shortage of space, a new Medicine Outpatient Department (OPD) unit has been opened at the Pulayanarkotta Hospital. Kerala Health Minister K. Muraleedharan inaugurated the facility, which will function as the seventh medicine unit under the medical college.

Speaking at the inauguration, Minister Muraleedharan emphasised the government's policy on patient welfare, stating that patients will no longer be accommodated on floors and that a hospital bed is a fundamental right of every patient. Under this newly launched system, non-critical patients who are currently admitted to the Medicine OPD at the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital will be transferred to the Pulayanarkotta facility.

The new unit is specifically designed to provide intermediate care for patients who require continuous observation and medical administration but cannot be immediately discharged to their homes. Out of the planned 200-bed capacity for this seventh medicine unit, 100 beds have been fully readied in the first phase. The department has utilised previously unspent and vacant space within the Pulayanarkotta Hospital campus, ensuring that the facility's routine daily operations remain completely undisturbed.

In addition to receiving transferred patients, the facility will allow individuals requiring general medicine treatments to walk in and access services directly. To facilitate smooth patient transfers from the Medical College Hospital, two dedicated ambulances have been deployed. The Minister also announced that discussions will be held with the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) authorities to arrange regular bus services connecting the Medical College Hospital with Pulayanarkotta to assist patients and their bystanders.

This initiative is part of a broader, state-wide strategy aimed at ensuring adequate hospital beds across all government medical colleges in Kerala. Minister Muraleedharan noted that the health department is taking measures to streamline and adjust the deployment of doctors based on patient volume. Furthermore, steps are underway at the Kozhikode and Kottayam Medical Colleges to admit patients into newly constructed buildings on recently acquired land. The government will also utilise any vacant wards across various medical colleges to accommodate admitted patients.

To systematically address infrastructure needs, the state government plans to conduct a detailed study on the space constraints across all government hospitals and arrange beds accordingly. The Minister added that the practice of keeping hospital buildings locked or unutilized will be strictly avoided.

The inauguration ceremony was attended by V. Muraleedharan, Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA), Akkulam Ward Councillor Adv. Mini P.S., Director of Medical Education Dr. K.V. Vishwanathan, Director of Health Services Dr. V. Meenakshi, District Medical Officer Dr. Bindu Mohan, District Programme Manager Dr. Arnold Deepak, Pulayanarkotta Hospital Superintendent Shabna, Medical College Hospital Superintendent Dr. Jayachandran, and Medicine Department Professor Dr. Jacob Antony.