Ernakulam GH Launches Gastroenterology Services

General Hospital (GH) in Ernakulam is preparing for the formal inauguration of its Gastroenterology department in July. This department, which began its pilot phase five months prior, will see an expansion of services with the addition of new equipment. Currently, it operates on a limited scope, accepting internal referrals from physicians and surgeons within GH and the adjacent cancer center. However, there are aspirations to introduce outpatient services, a move anticipated to be transformative for patients in Ernakulam who previously had to travel to other districts for specialized gastrointestinal treatment.

The establishment and operation of this unit have relied on voluntary medical services and private sponsorship, highlighting a critical need for additional manpower. Hospital sources indicate a shortage of staff, a bottleneck preventing the immediate launch of outpatient services. The department, situated in the super-specialty block, has been handling approximately 10 cases per day since its trial run in January. It provides essential procedures such as colonoscopy, endoscopy, and sigmoidoscopy.

Leading the department's oversight, Dr. T. Paulose George notes that upper GI cancers and liver diseases constitute a significant portion of the cases treated. He emphasizes the lack of public sector endoscopic treatment services in Ernakulam and stresses the need for increased staffing and service expansion to meet the high burden of gastrointestinal diseases. Establishing and maintaining such specialized departments in the government sector is financially demanding, contributing to their rarity.