Posts filed under ‘VSS Medical College’
Kidney disease spreading rapidly in western Odisha
Patients being examined at a health camp | Express
SAMBALPUR: As many as 108 patients suffer from Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) in Dakra gram panchayat under Maneswar block of the district. With safe drinking water a luxury for the people in several villages of Western Odisha, the disease has taken roots in more areas of the region.
The Government, it seems, is unprepared to counter the alarming situation in the block. While the Government has miserably failed to supply safe drinking water to the affected pockets, the healthcare system too is in doldrums to face the challenge. The medical college and hospital of the region, VIMSAR at Burla, continues to struggle with large-scale vacancies. Adding to the woes of patients, a senior resident of Medicine department has been managing the Nephrology department in the absence of a Nephrologist.
Moreover, the Government is yet to get a survey done to ascertain the exact cause of rising CKD cases. The kidney disorder, which was confined to a few pockets of Western Odisha, has spread to new areas, posing a bigger challenge to the Health department.
The facts came to the fore during a mega health camp organised jointly by Apollo Hospital and Maneswar block BJD in the GP on Thursday, a month after rising cases of CKD were reported in this paper, ‘Kidney deaths stalk Sambalpur villages’.
From about 200 patients screened at the mega health camp, 108 patients were identified with CKD and nearly 86 others with cardiac problems. Patients were examined by Nephrologist Dr Bibekananda Panda and Cardiologist Dr Byomokesh Dixit.
Dr Panda said the reason behind the spread of kidney ailment can be ascertained after water samples from the GP are chemically analysed for metal content.
Out of 108 patients identified with CKD, 10 need immediate dialysis while the rest need immediate specialised medical attention, he said. The situation is alarming and immediate health intervention is needed, he added. Apart from water, there are numerous other reasons behind the spread of the disease and all cases need to be identified individually and corrective measures taken, Dr Panda added.Earlier, a study by Red Cross in Dakra Gram Panchayat had revealed about death due to CKD in Dhaunrakhaman village under the GP. The survey also found presence of a large number of such cases in the villages of Dakra, Purnapani, Jaduloisingh, Jhariadera, Golabhanga and Aamkuni, all under the GP. The survey had identified 12 patients with CKD in Dakra village alone and three deaths in the last three months due to CKD.
Adding to the woes of patients, the Health Sub-Centre in the GP is closed in the absence of doctors while there are no paramedical staff to conduct tests or create awareness among the villagers.
Burla: Doctor crisis in VSS Medical College neurosurgery department
SAMBALPUR: The neurosurgery department of VSS Medical College and Hospital, Burla, is functioning with half its doctor strength. It has only one professor, who is also the head of department and an assistant professor. The post of senior resident is vacant as the appointee is yet to join and the associate professor is on deputation to SCB Medical College and Hospital, Cuttack.
“Accident victims with head injuries are brought to the neuro-surgery department. The staff shortage has proved to be a big problem,” said social worker Nihal Singh. He said the government should immediately fill up the vacancies.
Head of neurosurgery department Dr S K Mishra said the hospital tries to attend to all patients. “The pressure on doctors would have minimized if there were new recruits,” Mishra said.
Dr S S Pradhan, who was appointed as senior resident of the department, is unable to join because the labour department has not relieved him from his post of medical officer in-charge of ESI dispensary in Puri. “The department screening committee disallowed him to join the post of senior resident on administrative grounds,” stated a letter of labour and ESI department.
Memorandum for the Up-gradation of VSS Medical College and Hospital, Burla to an AIIMS Level Institution
To,
Dr. Manmohan Singh, honorable Prime Minister of India
cc:
Smt. Partibha Patil, honorable President of India
Smt. Sonia Gandhi, honorable UPA chairperson
Smt. Sushma Swaraj, honorable leader of the opposition
Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad, honorable Minister of Health and Family Welfare, India
Shri. Naveen Patnaik, honorable Chief Minister of Odisha
Shri Prasanna Acharya, honorable Minister of Health, Odisha
Honorable Members of Parliament from Odisha
Honorable Secretary of Health and Family Welfare
Honorable Director of PMSSY
Honorable Media personnel
Dear honorable Prime Minister Dr. Singh,
To revamp the healthcare system in India, the central government is upgrading the existing state government medical colleges to AIIMS level institutions under PMSSY. This is a positive step.
Established in 1959, the VSS medical college and hospital, Burla offers undergraduate and postgraduate education in medicine, surgery, pharmacy and nursing.[1] People of western Odisha (viz. Sambalpur, Balangir, Bargarh, Boudh, Subarnapur, Deogarh, Kalahandi, Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Nuapada districts and Athamallik subdivision) along with several districts of Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand states are heavily dependent on VSS medical college and hospital at Burla for tertiary health care. [1] However, the available medical facilities and existing infrastructure in this state government medical college is inadequate to handle the needs of this populous.
The health facility in western Odisha is one of the worst in the nation. Not only there is a serious shortage of health professionals but also the infrastructures in hospitals of this region are insufficient and under equipped. Hundreds of lives are lost every year in Kalahandi-Balangir-Koraput (KBK) and western Odisha from common disease like diarrhea and poor health facilities. The dignitaries of both ruling party and opposition parties (including Shri Rahul Gandhi and Shri LK Advani) are well aware of this as they have visited KBK and western Odisha several times in the recent past. Despite their promises there is no improvement in the existing health care facilities in western Odisha.
It is reported that Bihar has succeeded to get two of its medical colleges selected to be upgraded in addition to the new AIIMS in Patna. Furthermore, there are reports that various state goverment medical colleges in the country will be upgraded to AIIMS level. [2] Along this line, earlier we have requested both the Odisha and central government to upgrade the VSS medical college, Burla to an AIIMS level institution.
Keeping this in mind, during a recent visit the health minister of Odisha Shri Prasanna Acharya has requested Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad, to upgrade the VSS medical college, Burla to AIIMs level. We strongly support the demand of Shri Acharya and the Odisha govt. Upgradation of VSS medical college and hospital, Burla to an AIIMS level institituion under PMSSY will create better medical facilities for the people of western Odisha, Chatisgarh and Jharkhand. Furthermore, it will boost the higher education in this most backward region of India.
Therefore, we request you to kindly initiate necessary process for the up-gradation of VSS medical college and hospital, Burla to an AIIMS level institution under PMSSY.
Thank you and best regards,
Members of the Kosal Discussion and Development Forum and people of western Odisha
References:
1. VSS Medical College: http://www.vssmedical.net/
2. Medical colleges to be upgraded: http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_medical-colleges-to-be-upgraded_1037208
3. Odisha health minister demands up-gradation of existing medical colleges to AIIMS level: http://wp.me/pFC4h-1be
Odisha health minister demands up-gradation of existing medical colleges to AIIMS level
Following report is from the Sambad:
Transformation of VSS medical college to a unitary university: draft plan in the final stage
BHUBANESWAR: The draft plan for transforming VSS Medical College and Hospital,Burla, into a unitary university through an actof the state assembly is almost final. Once it is implemented, the institute will enjoy administrative, academic and financial autonomy like the Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGI), Lucknow.
The health and law departments are jointly working on the draft plan for Veer Surendra Sai Institute of Medical Sciences. “The plan to develop the college on the lines of SGPGI is in its final stage,” director medical education and training (DMET) Dr P K Das told TOI.
Once ready, the draft bill will be placed before the Cabinet and then before the assembly. The government is keen on bringing the Bill in the coming session itself, government sources said.
As per the draft, a governing body under the presidentship of the chief secretary will be the apex decision making body of the proposed VSSIMS. Other ex-officio members of the governing body would include secretaries of health and family welfare and finance departments, the institute director and the DMET. The local MP, two MLAs, seven persons of eminence having special knowledge in technical education, principals of two other medical colleges and two medical teachers would be nominated members of the governing body.
The draft proposes that the institute director would be the chief administrative authority of the institute and chairman of its academic board. The board will be responsible to ensure standard of education and research in the university.
Established in 1959, the 850-bed state-owned medical college offers undergraduate and postgraduate education in medicine and surgery, besides pharmacy and nursing courses. It has 22 clinical departments and caters to 12 districts of western Orissa, four districts of Chhattisgarhand two districts of Jharkhand for tertiary patient care. The government intends to increase the undergraduate seats of the college from 150 to 250 soon.
Without adequate infrastructure Odisha government plans to increase 300 MBBS seats
There are no adequate infrastructures to sustain the present MBBS students and faculty. In this circumstances such statement is like day-dreaming or the govt. is fooling the people.
BHUBANESWAR: The state government is planning to increase the number of undergraduate seats in all three government medical colleges to 250 each, the highest possible intake for any college under the Medical Council of India (MCI) norms. However, the government has been struggling hard to meet the standard set for the existing capacity of 150 students in these colleges.
Working on the principle that raising the capacity in the colleges instead of establishing new ones will save costs, the government has been pushing for the maximum seat possibiity. There are just 10 medical colleges across India with such peak ability.
“The government will approach MCI to consider 100 more seats for Cuttack in 2013. A year later in 2014, it will plead for similar hike in VSS Medical College and Hospital Burla and MKCG Medical College and Hospital Berhampur,” said Dr P K Das, director medical education and training (DMET).
Dr Das said the Cuttack hospital is almost ready for the increase in seats, while efforts are on to match the requirement in the two other colleges. The government will create additional lecture theatres, increase hostel capacity, create one auditorium of 650-capacity each and upgrade laboratories and libraries in these colleges. The state has to increase the bed strength in Burla and Berhampur hospitals to at least 1,190 as per MCI norms for 250 MBBS seats from the current 800 and 1,081 beds respectively. The Cuttack hospital has a bed strength of 1,600, which exceeds the minimum bed requirement criteria for 250 seats.
Dr Das said after infrastructure upgradation, there should not be any big huddles in increasing the number of seats. “We don’t have to worry much about faculties, except for filling up existing vacancies as the sanctioned strength is not far short of meeting the criteria for the proposed expansion. The government is taking steps to fill up the vacancies on a priority basis,” the DMET said.
If new medical colleges are established for 300 seats, the government will incur a cost of Rs 1,100 crore. But by spending Rs 450 crore on upgradation of infrastructure in existing colleges, the government can produce 300 more doctors every year at a 40% cost, said a senior officer of the DMET.
Notably, the government increased MBBS seats in SCB Medical College from 107 to 150 in 2006 and made similar increase in VSS and MKCG after a year in 2007. The MCI last year gave its final recognition for the increased capacity in SCB Medical College. However, it is yet to give its permanent recognition to the two other colleges. Though MCI inspection for permanent recognition in these two colleges is due in February-March, the government is still struggling to fill up largescale vacancies in the two institutions.
In Burla, around 60 of the sanctioned 163 posts in clinical disciplines are lying unoccupied, while over 20 of the 79 non-clinical posts are vacant. “We have written to the government to fill up these vacancies before the MCI inspection,” said Dr Santosh K Behera, principal of VSS Medical College. Similar largescale vacancies mar the MKCG Medical College and Hospital as well, sources said.
“We have around 50 vacancies of faculty members because base level posts of assistant professors could not be filled up for long. Now, the process has started again. We will shortly fill these vacancies,” said Dr Sunamali Bag, principal of MKCG Medical College. Hopefully by another year, the infrastructure for the proposed expansion too will be ready, he added.
State of 2011 health care in Odisha far from rosy
Following is a report from TOI:
BHUBANESWAR: Patient care going for a toss due to prolonged strike of junior doctors across all government medical colleges sums up the situation of healthcare in the state this year even as the government announced a number of new initiatives.
Around 800 house surgeons and PG students, the backbone of healthcare services for both indoor and outdoor patients in the three medical colleges, went for tool down, demanding “proper security to them during duty”. Several surgeries had to be postponed and emergency care was affected in the three apex institutions.
Junior doctors in Burla stopped work on September 5 following alleged attacks on them a day earlier on September 4. After the state announced a sine die closure of the college on September 7, the medics reassembled for an indefinite stir in the state capital on September 9. Their counterparts in Cuttack and Berhampur joined them on September 15 and 16 respectively, expressing solidarity with their demands of security, arrest of alleged main culprit Sisir Dandia and withdrawal of “false” charges against the demonstrators. Several rounds of talks with the government failed to bring back the medicos to their work and classes. Despite hectic parleys with the government, the strike went on till September 24. The Orissa high court had to intervene to end the stalemate ultimately. The HC asked the government to improve security on the campus and remove encroachments inside the Burla hospital campus.
Meanwhile, despite tall posturing by the government to have taken initiatives for several new medical college proposals, nothing concrete materialized during the year, either in private or in the government sector.
While the year saw no progress in the 2004 proposal of Western Orissa Development Council to set up a medical college in Balangir, Sahyog Healthcare and Research Foundation (SHRF) of India is yet to acquire land for its proposed college in Keonjhar. The SHRF a few days ago got some New York-based venture capitalists to invest $100 million in the project for a period of five years though.
Besides, the fate of Employees’ State Insurance Corporation’s proposed medical college at Bhubaneswar still hangs in balance with nothing more than a boundary coming up at the proposed site, government sources said. ESIC had proposed in 2008 to set up a medical college in Odisha. The state government had allotted 25 acres of land in the city for the Rs 800-crore project in 2009.
The planning and coordination department of the state government had sanctioned Rs 10 crore each for medical colleges in Rourkela, Jaring (Kalahandi district) and Balangir in public-private partnership. The government provided 25 acres of land each to these proposed colleges, being facilitated by WODC. Though the colleges in Rourkela and Jaring are in advanced stages of completion, uncertainty still prevails about their likely date of commissioning.
Similarly, the government also failed to initiate a kidney transplant facility at SCB Medical College and Hospital, Cuttack, this year. It has now set a target of early 2012 to launch the programme.
The state government can, however, boast of at least four major initiatives such as launching the Centre-funded Janani O Sishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK), Mamata scheme for pregnant women and commissioning of the e-blood bank service this year. “It has been one of those happening years in health. Initiatives such as JSSK and Mamata were launched for pregnancy and neonatal care. We also started Dots Plus for TB patients,” said Dr Upendra Kumar Sahoo, director of health services.
Under the JSSK, the government promises to bear all expenditure related to delivery and newborn care. The free entitlements under the programme of the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) include free and cashless delivery, free Caesarean Section, free treatment of sick newborns up to 30 days, exemption from user charges, free drugs and consumables, free diagnostics, free diet during stay in the health institutions (three days in case of normal delivery and seven days in case of C-section), free provision of blood, free transport from home to health institutions, free transport between facilities in case of referral as also drop back from institutions to home after 48 hours stay. “It would go a long way to reduce neonatal and maternity deaths,” the DHS said.
The state launched Mamata scheme in July, under which the government promises to give Rs 5,000 to pregnant women in villages. An estimated seven lakh pregnant women and newborn babies in rural areas would benefit from the scheme every year. As per the scheme, aid would be given to each pregnant woman in four installments. First Rs 1,500 would be paid after six months of pregnancy with registration and vaccination in an anganwadi centre. The second Rs 1,500 would be given when the newborn is three months old. The third and fourth installments of Rs 1,000 each would be paid when the newborn is six and nine months old respectively.
Critics dismiss both Mamata and JSSK, however, as pre-poll sops ahead of panchayat elections in the state in February.
Among the most commendable initiatives in the year passing by was the e-blood bank initiative. Earlier this month, the government started bar-coding of blood bags to ensure blood collected first is used first in 100% cases. The web-enabled system facilitates electronic monitoring of blood collection, testing, storage and final use or disposal. Timings of all these steps can now be known from anywhere in the blood bank network.
The electronic screening can detect professional donors as all blood banks are interlinked to eliminate professional donation, which is still around three to four per cent. “It is for the first time in the country that such an initiative was launched in blood safety,” said Mangala Prasad Mohanty, honorary secretary of Odisha branch of the Indian Red Cross Society.
Odisha govt. in dark over VSS Medical College and Hospital land encroachment case
Following report is from the Telegraph:
Cuttack, Dec. 5: The Odisha government today admitted in the high court that it had no clear picture on the extent of encroachment on the 108 acres of land allotted to VSS Medical College and Hospital as demarcation of the land had not been completed so far.
“The district administration has taken up demarcation of the land and the same is expected to be completed within a period of three months,” commissioner-cum-secretary of revenue and disaster management department Raj Kumar Sharma said in an affidavit filed today.
“After demarcation, the total number of encroachment on the said land shall be finally determined. All possible steps shall be undertaken by the district administration to clear the hospital land of encroachment at the earliest,” Sharma said. “Some 55 encroachers, who had constructed unauthorised structures on the VSS campus, have been evicted,” he added.
The affidavit skirted the issue of the lack of a boundary wall at the state-run medical college hospital. Taking note of it, the two-judge bench of Chief Justice V. Gopala Gowda and Justice B.N. Mohapatra today directed for listing of the case after one week. The court expected the government to file a detailed status report by then.
The court was adjudicating on a PIL, along with intervention petitions filed by junior doctors, in connection with unauthorised occupants and the lack of a boundary wall at the VSS.
According to the petitions, the institution has no boundary wall. The medical college and the hospital do not have a common campus. There is no compound wall either of the hospital or of the medical college and areas of both are encroached upon. The hospital, the medical college and its hostels are divided because of encroachment by vendors.
Consequently, there has been “free access” and “unauthorised interference” by outsiders, including persons with criminal records, on the VSS campus, of which “doctors and students have become the victims”.
In pursuance of a high court order, the government filed a status report on security provided for students, doctors and patients at VSS on October 19. But, it was silent on steps taken to address the problems of unauthorised occupants and the lack of a compound wall.
Taking note of it, the high court granted the government 10 days to file a status report on it. Later, the court fixed a fresh seven-day deadline for submission of the report when the government sought more time for it on October 31.
Odisha unsafe for doctors: VSS medical college, Burla students register protest
Following reports are from the Sambad:
Kosal Discussion and Development Forum 