The State’s public health system is certainly looking up, with more people flocking to its healthcare institutions.
“Increased footfall in our public health institutions is an indication that the work over the past two years — improvements in health system infrastructure, provision of better treatment facilities, human resources and public amenities in government hospitals — are beginning to pay off. If in 2014, only 34% of the population utilised the public health system, today, 40% of the people are visiting government hospitals,” an official release quoting Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Rajeev Sadanandan said.
“The government sector has always been ahead when it comes to cancer treatment, with 66% of the care being provided by government hospitals. Public sector cancer care facilities in the State have been growing in leaps and bounds and we expect the system to deliver 85% of the care soon,” Mr. Sadanandan said.
The upcoming Institute of Virology in Thiruvananthapuram, the country’s first virology centre affiliated to the Global Virus Network, and first phase development works of ₹400 crore at the Kochi Cancer Centre are some of the major developments in the sector.
The Malabar Cancer Centre is being equipped and elevated to the level of Regional Cancer Centre and Oncology facilities are being expanded in five government medical college hospitals too.
The government is also committed to the care of chronic non-communicable diseases in the community, especially stroke, cancer and cardiac diseases, the treatment for which in the private sector can be quite unaffordable to most.
Secondary care institutions, including district and taluk hospitals, are being upgraded to provide better treatment for stroke and cardiac issues. Cath labs are coming up in 10 district hospitals, while all taluk hospitals and district hospitals will soon have dialysis facilities.
Various development projects worth ₹2,000 crore were happening in public sector health institutions across the State, Mr. Sadanandan said.