Kochi Co-operative Medical College (CMC) gets a new lease of life as the Kerala Government Medical Officers Association (KGMOA) agreed to part with 10 more rooms in the Ernakulam General Hospital to the CMC after being assured that the arrangements are on a temporary basis and will be returned once the CMC infrastructure is complete.

The decision was conveyed at a meting of KGMOA office-bearers and Health Minister P Sankaran, last week. The Government orders in this regard will be out in a few days.

The main concern of the KGMOA was that the Ernakulam General Hospital will go the way of Thrissur and Alappuzha General Hospitals which were turned into full-fledged Medical College Hospitals. The KGMOA delegation has also been asked to meet the co-operation Minister for further deliberations.

Health Minister P Sankaran's statement that 10 more rooms will be provided to the CMC had resulted in the medicos withdrawing their indefinite hunger strike. They had felt cheated after the Health Department failed to come out with the necessary orders after being pressurized by KGMOA.

The CMC will be able to start a labour room and an intensive care unit in the hospital once the payward rooms are made available. The health department had earlier agreed to provide a suitable space on the hospital premises for staring an operation theater. The OT currently functioning in the General Hospital has limited space and is not suitable for demonstration and study as required by a medical college hospital.

The KGMOA earlier argued that the move to provide additional clinical facilities will adversely affect the functioning of the hospital. The handing over of 209 beds was a compromise that led to overcrowding of other wards in the hospital. Dr. S Hariharan, Principal of CMC said that college can function smoothly with the decision to allot more rooms.