Medicine hub shifts from MCH to control room

  • | Tuesday | 21st August, 2018

For the last two days, the Thiruvananthapuram Government Medical College Hospital literally had turned into a coordination hub for collection and dispatch of medical supplies. Medicines being sorted and packed at the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital to be despatched to the flood-stricken areas. It was from MCH that essential drugs, meant for relief camps in the flood-ravaged areas, were collected, sorted, indexed and packed in a centralised manner. Now, all these relief activities that were going on at the MCH have been taken over by the State-level control room, opened by the Health Department. A medical college in Kanyakumari had transported a sizeable load containing medicines and bottled water a day ago.

Medicines being sorted and packed at the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital to be despatched to the flood-stricken areas. more-in For the last two days, the Thiruvananthapuram Government Medical College Hospital literally had turned into a coordination hub for collection and dispatch of medical supplies. Now, all these relief activities that were going on at the MCH have been taken over by the State-level control room, opened by the Health Department. (The control room, functioning round-the-clock, could be contacted by dialling 18001231454.) While it was at the MCH, a large number of healthcare personnel and students joined hands here to take the relief mission forward. The office of the medical college hospital superintendent, on the third floor of the new outpatient block, which had been designated the flood relief cell, had buzzed with hectic activity. It was from MCH that essential drugs, meant for relief camps in the flood-ravaged areas, were collected, sorted, indexed and packed in a centralised manner. The activities were coordinated by college Principal Thomas Mathew and hospital superintendent M.S. Sharma. Around 500 volunteers, including doctors, postgraduate doctors, medical students, pharmacists and former staff and students, were involved in the effort that saw over 160 boxes of medicines being packed off to the affected places in Alappuzha and Pathanamthitta. According to hospital deputy superintendent Joby John, the medicines that were dispatched could cater to well over 30,000 people. Backed by data-driven planning, the boxes were packed as per the existing epidemiological pattern. They also included emergency drugs meant to cater to all age groups for a day. In contrast, other collection camps were packing drugs on the basis of their usages. “Each box was meant for groups of 250 people, including aged people and children. The medicines were being stocked considering the possible ailments that could be detected among the particular cross-section. The arrangement would have enabled hassle-free distribution of medicines in relief camps. Besides, the availability of every essential drug in adequate quantity was also ensured,” he said. The packaged drugs included preventive medicines, antibiotics and those meant for treating various ailments including diarrhoea, epilepsy, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, among others. Smaller boxes, meant for groups of 50 or 60 people at relief camps, were also dispatched from the camp. Dr. John said they received contributions from medical colleges, private hospitals, drug stores, NGOs and other voluntary organisations, and private individuals. A medical college in Kanyakumari had transported a sizeable load containing medicines and bottled water a day ago. Besides, sample drugs that were stocked at the hospital and those in the possession of doctors were also packed. In view of the difficulty in sourcing large quantities of medicines such as doxycycline, a preventive medicine against leptospirosis, and insulin, the hospital purchased them from drug stores. Intravenous fluids were also supplied to various hospitals as individual supplies. The hospital had also deployed around 60 healthcare personnel as teams, each including doctors, nurses and paramedical staff, to the affected areas. Some teams were also been split to smaller groups to augment relief efforts at sub-stations.

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