Minister to hold meeting with nursing staff today

Minister for Health K.K. Shylaja has convened a meeting of nurses, nursing assistants and attenders at Government Medical College Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram, on Saturday, following the incident wherein a nursing assistant was caught on camera behaving in an abusive manner with an in-patient.

The visuals of the same had been widely disseminated on social media and the story had been picked up by the media too.

The Superintendent of MCH said all nurses/nursing assistants/attenders who are not on duty on Saturday should attend the meeting. He said that as part of improving the emergency wing, 10 trolleys and five wheelchairs have been newly bought and that orders have been placed for acquiring 50 more trolleys.

Nursing assistant suspended

Following the incident, the MCH Superintendent had conducted an inquiry and the nursing assistant involved had been suspended. Detailed inquiry is on, following which more punitive measures would be adopted.

The Health Minister said that such incidents of violation of patient rights would not be tolerated at a time when the government was trying to improve healthcare delivery in public health institutions by making hospitals more patient-friendly and approachable.

She said that while a majority of the staff in government hospitals sincerely served patients, there were a few, who were earning a bad name for public hospitals by their inhuman behaviour and corruption.

Violation of public health service rules by hospital staff would be strictly dealt with, she said.

The Minister directed the heads of all institutions to ensure that their staff members are on their best behaviour with patients and visitors to hospitals.