TVM equipment shortage row: Urology dept to resume surgeries after Health Minister's intervention
Urology Unit I at Thiruvananthapuram Government Medical College is set to resume surgeries after a probe malfunction. Medical equipment shortage issues raised by Dr. Haris Chirakkal led to Health Minister Veena George's intervention, highlighting systemic shortcomings.
Urology Unit I at Thiruvananthapuram Government Medical College is set to resume surgeries after a probe malfunction. Medical equipment shortage issues raised by Dr. Haris Chirakkal led to Health Minister Veena George's intervention, highlighting systemic shortcomings.
Urology Unit I at Thiruvananthapuram Government Medical College is set to resume surgeries after a probe malfunction. Medical equipment shortage issues raised by Dr. Haris Chirakkal led to Health Minister Veena George's intervention, highlighting systemic shortcomings.
Thiruvananthapuram: Surgeries under Urology Unit I at the Thiruvananthapuram Government Medical College, led by the Head of the Department Dr Haris Chirakkal, are all set to resume following an intervention by Health Minister Veena George. The procedure had been halted after the probe used in the EMS lithoclast device malfunctioned last week.
Following this, the Health Minister directed officials to ensure that a replacement probe was provided without delay. However, similar surgeries were carried out by another urology unit in the hospital the very next day, despite allegations that the surgical equipment was faulty.
The disruption had sparked public outrage after Dr Haris Chirakkal, head of the Urology Department, shared his anguish in a strongly worded Facebook post, describing the emotional toll of being forced to cancel a scheduled endourology surgery for a 23-year-old patient due to the lack of essential equipment. The procedure was called off at the last minute, and Dr Chirakkal said he was left red-faced as he apologised to the young patient. The EMS Lithoclast is a device used in endourology for breaking up kidney stones and other urinary tract stones. However, he deleted the post later.
In his post, Dr Chirakkal criticised bureaucratic red tape and the hospital’s administrative delays, claiming that his repeated requests for the equipment had been pending with the Hospital Development Society (HDS) for months. The post triggered a political and administrative response, with the Health Department ordering a detailed inquiry.
Addressing the media on Sunday, Veena George refrained from criticising Dr Chirakkal and described him as a dedicated and trustworthy doctor. She acknowledged that the issues he raised pointed to broader systemic shortcomings. She also pointed out that patient numbers at government medical colleges had surged from 2.5 lakh in 2021 to 6.5 lakh now, highlighting the increased pressure on resources.