Department of Cardiology at Kozhikode MCH who need critical care

A large number of patients from all over North Kerala depend on the cardiology department at Government Medical College Hospital, Kozhikode. | Photo credit: K. Ragesh

The cardiology department at the Government Medical College Hospital (MCH), Kozhikode, which sees hundreds of patients from all over north Kerala every day, is facing a severe shortage of doctors.

Though the sanctioned number of permanent staff is 14, there are only eight in the list and one of the doctors has also been sent on employment agreement to Government Medical College Hospital, Wayanad.

According to sources, instead of filling the posts of Assistant Professors, the authorities deploy Doctor of Medicine (DM) graduates who work in the hospital to complete their one-year bond and then leave the job.

Senior doctors say that this stop-gap arrangement has no practical use. He claims that a doctor needs at least 10 years of continuous experience in an echocardiography examination room to provide an expert opinion. “DM trainees can be deployed in the outpatient department, primary angioplasty for heart attack and basic echocardiography procedures, that’s fine. But if someone doubts a complex case in the echocardiography room, senior doctors may have to be called in as well as in the operating room to clear it up,” he says, noting that there are three such echo rooms where tests are performed simultaneously.

The department has one professor, three associate professors and 10 assistant professors. Doctors claim that even this staffing pattern was set a long time ago and the number of patients has been increasing drastically in recent years. Although there were two other professorships previously, they were reportedly moved to other medical teaching hospitals. They point out that the current crisis will worsen in the next three to four years as some senior doctors leave the service.

For the record, around 600 patients are treated daily in the cardiology OR. Last year, over 5,500 procedures were performed, including 980 primary angioplasty operations. Patients admitted with a heart attack are transferred directly from the casualty to the cardiac intensive care unit (ICU). Up to 10 patients are reportedly transferred to the ICU each day and primary angioplasty operations are performed around the clock. There are two categorical laboratories.

Although the authorities have repeatedly apprised the government about the situation and applications have been invited for the posts of assistant professors, many young doctors are not interested in joining the service allegedly because of the unattractive entry salary.

Published – 14 Oct 2026 19:10 IST