Eastern hospital gets more facilities

by Mohammed Naalir

A shortage of nurses and quarters for doctors, consultants, nurses, medical officers and other categories are the main problems to be addressed immediately at the Trincomalee General Hospital. There is a shortage of fifty nurses. If the dearth is filled the hospital will be able to provide various services, Medical Superintendent of Trincomalee General Hospital Dr. E.G. Gnanakunalan told the Sunday Observer .

However, the Health Ministry sources said that The Government has taken steps to improve the facilities of the Hospitals in the Eastern province and other parts of the country. A CT scanner will be provided to Trincomalee General Hospital under a Chinese project. The rural hospitals in the district will also be given enough facilities.

The Eastern Province Health Ministry has also been instructed to look into the problems of the Trincomalee General Hospital, according to sources.

The Government has carried out a large number of improvement works at Trincomalee General Hospital while providing required facilities. The remaining shortcomings will also be addressed soon, the sources added.

According to the Medical Superintendent only ten beds in the ISU were functional although it had ten beds. He attributed this to the shortage of doctors.

A shortage of nurses' quarters is the main problem at the moment. Sixty nurses have been accommodated in 22 rooms, Dr. Gnanakunalan said.

He said that a large number of patients come daily for treatment from various parts of the district. The OPD has been computerised and was functioning smoothly.

CT scanning facilities were lacking and 193 patients were transferred to Kurunegala, Kandy and other hospitals for CT scanning every month, Dr. Gnanakunalan said.

He said that the Health Ministry had promised to provide a CT Scanner in six months under a Chinese project to overcome this issue. The hospital still lacked the services of a cardiologist and a neurologist. If these facilities are provided to this hospital a large number of patients in the region will benefit and a money spent on transporting patients to other hospitals can be saved.

"Due to the lack of nurses we are yet to open the dialysis and ENT unit. Doctors quarters were also insufficient resulting in doctors having to seek alternate accommodation in residences close to the hospital. Doctors were reluctant to take up appointments due to this reason," he said.

The Government should take steps to construct quarters for doctors, nurses, consultants, medical officers and employees of other categories, then we can provide a valuable service to patients who come here for treatment,he said.

There were nearly a hundred patients seeking treatment on a daily basis but a lack of nurses has caused a severe problem, Dr. Gnanakunalan said.