Do not abandon master plan that would transform General Hospital: Ex-mayor V K Prasanth

T’puram: Former Vattiyurkavu MLA and city corporation mayor V K Prasanth urged govt not to shelve the master plan for the comprehensive development of Thiruvananthapuram General Hospital, for which tender procedures were completed and construction was set to begin, in the name of establishing a medical college.

He said the Rs 137-crore master plan was taken up during previous LDF govt’s tenure through KIIFB with the objective of ensuring the hospital’s overall development. All procedural formalities were completed, and the contract was awarded to Heather Construction Company. The project envisaged upgrading the hospital’s infrastructure and establishing modern facilities, including emergency medicine and trauma care units.

Prasanth said successive LDF govts took steps to strengthen general and district hospitals in Thiruvananthapuram, including the general hospital and Peroorkada district hospital, as feeder hospitals for Thiruvananthapuram medical college, which functions as a referral centre. As part of efforts to enhance medical college’s role as a referral hospital, LDF govt undertook a comprehensive development project worth nearly Rs 850 crore using KIIFB funds over the past decade.

Construction activities under the project have progressed substantially, leading to significant improvements in infrastructure, including a new OP block and emergency medicine facilities. He said the institution has now evolved into a centre capable of performing complex surgeries at an affordable cost for ordinary people.

Prasanth alleged that previous UDF govt attempted to convert general hospital into a medical college without providing essential infrastructure other than an administrative block. He said starting a medical college without adequate facilities such as clinical training opportunities, hostels and a hospital with sufficient bed strength for patient care would adversely affect the quality of medical education.