Ernakulam General Hospital has resumed full-scale neurology and gastroenterology services and added oral and maxillofacial surgery and plastic surgery, restoring access to several specialist treatments at one of Kochi’s major public hospitals. Hospital superintendent Dr R. Prabhudas said more departments are also being prepared for launch.
The expanded services follow a prolonged shortage of doctors in important speciality departments, including gastroenterology and neurosurgery. The lack of specialists had caused difficulties for patients who depended on the government hospital for treatment. The hospital has now brought together specialist teams in gastroenterology, neurology, neurosurgery, plastic surgery and maxillofacial surgery.
The gastroenterology department will be led by Dr Sunil K. Thomas. Neurology services will be led by Dr Aparna Amarnath, while neurosurgery services will be provided by Dr Sreenath. Dr Manoj will lead plastic surgery and Dr Vishnu will head oral and maxillofacial surgery services, according to the hospital superintendent’s statement reported by Madhyamam.
The hospital said neurosurgery outpatient services at the super-speciality block will be available on Tuesdays and Fridays each week. Patients can book appointments online or obtain tokens, the superintendent said. The announced schedule gives patients a specific route to access the resumed service, although the report does not provide details on procedure availability, admission capacity or waiting times.
The restoration has involved both staffing and equipment. Following interventions by Hibi Eden, MP, and T. J. Vinod, MLA, equipment and supporting systems required for neurology and gastroenterology treatment were arranged using corporate social responsibility funds from various institutions. The government subsequently appointed specialist doctors to the neurology and gastroenterology departments following the MLA’s intervention, the report said.
The hospital is also taking steps to begin retina surgery, interventional radiology and endocrinology services. These departments have not yet started, but preparations are under way. The planned additions would broaden the hospital’s specialist-care capacity beyond the services currently being restored.
The expansion is part of an effort to develop Ernakulam General Hospital as a stronger referral treatment centre. For patients unable to afford the high cost of private hospitals, the availability of specialist care within the government system could reduce the need to seek treatment outside the public hospital network. The immediate next step is the continuation of the newly resumed services and the phased introduction of the additional departments under preparation.
