KGMOA protests premature 12-hour specialty services at Punalur hospital

The Kerala Government Medical Officers' Association (KGMOA) has formally objected to the state government's decision to introduce 12-hour specialty services at Punalur Taluk Hospital in Kollam district, arguing that the move was implemented without addressing critical staff vacancies or ensuring adequate preparations.

While the association had initially welcomed the proposal to expand specialty care, it now contends that the premature rollout places an unsustainable burden on existing medical personnel and compromises patient safety.

According to KGMOA, a prior high-level meeting with the State Health Minister had established that each specialty would require at least nine doctors to sustain extended duty hours until 8 p.m. The government had also assured that replacement staff would be posted at other institutions whenever doctors were redeployed to Punalur, so that healthcare services elsewhere in the region would not suffer.

However, the association reports that Punalur Taluk Hospital continues to face a severe shortage of specialists. Although some paediatricians, gynaecologists, anaesthetists, orthopaedic specialists, and general physicians were brought in through redeployment, the total strength remains far below what is needed to run seamless specialty operations for 12 consecutive hours daily.

The redeployment has also had a cascading effect on neighbouring facilities. Doctors were drawn from Kundara Taluk Hospital, Nedungolam Taluk Hospital, and Anchal Community Health Centre without any backfill, severely disrupting routine care at those institutions.

KGMOA has urged health authorities to immediately suspend the extended specialty services until adequate staff are recruited across all departments. The association insists that proper human resources must be ensured first to avoid compromising the quality of care and overburdening medical officers.