Shortage of cooks; Hospital attendants given charge of kitchen at Kuthiravattom Mental Health Centre

Kozhikode: No new cooks were appointed at the Govt Mental Health Care Centre at Kuthiravattam and the attendants have turned out to be cooks here. Three attendants were given the charge of cooking with the permission of District Medical Officer as the hospital authority could not prepare and serve food for the 471 inmates here. 

Over 600 inmates were in the hospital before the wake of Covid 19. But numbers reduced when the restrictions were brought in view of the pandemic. It is the centre for five districts under the Malabar region. 

Instead of the required eight cooks in the hospital, only three attendants are employed as of now. The health department waived off the posts of three cooks recently, following retirement of the three cooks. Apart from this, two cooks retired last month and the service period of the remaining cooks will end by May. 

By considering the request of the superintendent, DMO had sent letters to the secretary and director of the health department. But all to no avail. The representatives of an assembly committee visited the hospital in 2016 and 2017 and later recommended appointing 8 cooks here. 

The health department decided to scrap the posts following retirement of the existing cooks. The hospital authorities said the decision is impractical. They gave petitions requesting to fill the vacancies of cooks whenever representatives of High Court and District Court visited the health centre. 

Only gruel and moong beans were served for the inmates earlier. But the menu has been revamped with nutritious food now. Tea is served at 5.30 am; breakfast at 8 am; milk, banana and egg at 10.30 am; meals with two curries at noon; fish or chicken will be served on Tuesday and Saturday; coffee and snacks at 3 pm; meals or gruel and ‘puzhukku’ for dinner at 7.30 pm.