Thiruvananthapuram: Citing pending payments, surgical equipment companies have stopped the supply of surgical instruments to major medical college hospitals (MCHs) in the state. According to the companies, the arrears amount to up to Rs 59.33 crores. As a result, a lot of heart-related surgeries have been put on hold in several medical colleges including the Thiruvananthapuram medical college. 

The hospitals functioning under the Department of Medical Education had procured heart stents and other surgical instruments from the companies; however, the payments for the equipment have been pending since July last year. Meanwhile, the government has informed the companies that they will be only able to make payments up to September 2022 for the time being; but the surgical companies are demanding payments for up to December last year. Due to the crisis, all government hospitals with cath labs are experiencing a shortage of stents.

It is known that the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College alone owes Rs 15 crores to the company. Earlier, almost 16 surgeries use to be performed at the cath lab in Thiruvananthapuram Medical College; but now due to the shortage of equipment, surgeries are being done only on a priority basis.

Lots of surgeries are pending at Kottayam Medical College as well. So far, medical colleges have been purchasing surgical instruments either from companies or via Kerala Medical Services Corporation.

The hospitals found themselves in a precarious position after they stopped getting funds through healthcare schemes. The Thiruvananthapuram Medical College alone has to receive a staggering Rs 100 crores in this regard. Apart from this, the state government owes a total amount of Rs 16.92 crores to the hospital development committees across the medical colleges in the state.

The government also owes Rs 57.09 crores to the Kerala Medical Services Corporation.

Responding to the crisis, health minister Veena George maintained that “Angiograms or angioplasty are being performed in critical cases without much delay. The rest of the patients are being given appointments on a priority basis.”