Commoners and financially downtrodden in society just favor treatment in government medical colleges. Even people with considerable clouts in government or upper echelons in society opt for medical college hospitals for certain treatments. It is rather a subdued fact that Medical colleges provide one of the best treatments in the whole country but the common perception fails to rightly point this. The middle class, with insurance coverage, and those with money rely on private hospitals for even minor ailments care less about the happenings in the medical college. So, it will be just the common people who will bear the brunt if the treatment gets stalled in such government medical college hospitals.

In the last three days, 63 angioplasty surgeries have been canceled at Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital. Don’t get wrong on this; it is not any usual protest from doctors that stalled the treatment but the non-availability of stents, catheters, wires, and basic accessories required for heart surgery. The doctors are sitting just idle just as surprised as the patients. Meanwhile, the patients are eagerly waiting for the vital technical supplies to reach hospitals so the treatments could resume.

However, the patients' apprehension may not be lifted anytime soon. The essential technical materials needed for heart surgery are purchased from various companies. The medical college authority has hitherto not paid arrears for the purchase albeit many reminders from the companies.

As per reports, Rs 30 crores are due for about 10 agencies. In the discussion held by the hospital authorities with the agencies, the authorities gave word about completing the payment by July, but the companies have obliterated any such proposals.

The onus of the current quandary in the medical college falls solely on the health ministry and its inept officials. In the usual context, the blame will be charged upon the financial department for not allotting enough funds to purchase such required material. In the sudden quiver of the media-made hullabaloo and the court intervention over such issues, the financial department may lethargically allow paltry funds to quell the protest. This has been the usual practiced trope in Kerala.

It is a staggering fall in standards currently being witnessed in government medical colleges. The government should upend its stance on certain issues and should solicit intervention in such issues, rather than waiting for a minor controversy to erupt.

Recently, one patient, who came to the Medical College Hospital on the recommendation of the Health Minister, was operated on using a stent borrowed from the Thiruvananthapuram General Hospital. If such is the case of a patient who had all backing from the health minister itself, imagine the plight faced by some ordinary one who favors medical college for surgery.