Flaying the ongoing government policy for healthcare managements in Tamil Nadu, the Tamil Nadu Health Development Association (TNHDA), an association of doctors and health workers, has commented that the state government needs a more coherent health policy to cater to good healthcare and sanitation facilities for all the people of the state.

The association has made this comment when their members gathered in Chennai to participate in a discussion organised by TNHDA in association with the Department of Anthropology of the University of Madras on the subject ‘health for all, sanitation for all’.

Coming down heavily on the health department for its laxity in bringing the government healthcare centres and the inert policies in providing treatments in hospitals, the association said the state government instead of spending huge money for health insurance schemes, should expend the amount for maintenance of infrastructure facilities and upgrading the medical facilities now available at the state funded public healthcare institutions.

“If proper medical aid and latest methods of treatments are provided to the patients through government hospitals and medical colleges, there will be no need of any insurance scheme to reimburse the medical expenses incurred at private hospitals. The major beneficiaries of the insurance scheme are the insurance companies, private hospitals and medical companies”, according to Dr C S Rex Sargunam, the president of the association.

He said there are 43 government hospitals under the control of 19 medical colleges, one multi-speciality hospital, 1751 PHCs, 8706 sub-centres and 134 urban level primary health centres in Tamil Nadu. All these centres have more than enough buildings and land areas which can be utilised for better infrastructure for better healthcare management implementing modern treatment methods for the benefit of the poor people. The government institutions should be able to provide all types of medical treatments to the people of the state rather than forcing them get admitted into private hospitals in the wake of any insurance scheme.

Later while speaking to Pharmabiz, Dr Rex said, “now all the hospitals in Tamil Nadu are suffering for want of sufficient funds.  Every year the government is spending Rs. 750 crore for health insurance under which a family can avail medical benefits of upto Rs. four lakh for four years. Sometimes, for major diseases that require surgeries, rupees one lakh may not be sufficient. If the government hospitals can provide standard treatments, the patients do not require the insurance. The facilities in the hospitals should be improved, doctors and para-medical staffs should be appointed and the sanitation facilities in each centre should be developed”, he opined.

According to him all the hospitals in the state are facing shortages of doctors, nurses and other para-medical staffs and health workers. No sufficient amount of funds is spent for maintenance at the hospitals. Government should make a policy change in order to supply even the costly medicines to the patients coming for treatments at the hospitals, he said.

In the discussion, all the speakers lambasted the government for its negligence in proper monitoring of the administrative mechanism of each hospital, especially medical college hospitals and district hospitals. Dr Rex said the government is taking the health problem as a political problem. The problems of the health of citizens and the politics of the state should not be treated alike, he reminded the government.