Patients in Malabar districts, especially Kozhikode, are on the receiving end of an acute shortage of doctors in government hospitals.
Functionaries of the Kerala Government Medical Officers’ Association (KGMOA) point out that the population to doctor ratio is high in districts such as Kozhikode, Malappuram, Palakkad, and Kasaragod. While the ratio is 8217:1 in Kozhikode, it is 8673:1 in Malappuram, 8341:1 in Palakkad, and 7118:1 in Kasaragod.
Of the 443 sanctioned posts of doctors in Kozhikode district, 23 are lying vacant. Two posts are vacant at the office of the District Medical Officer. The Government District Hospital, Vadakara, has six vacancies. The Government General Hospital, Kozhikode, and the government taluk hospitals at Nadapuram, Perambra, and Thamarassery have two vacancies each. The Government Hospital for Women and Children at Kottaparamba in Kozhikode, government taluk hospitals at Feroke and Kuttiyadi, and the family health centres (FHC) at Vanimel, Maruthonkara, Meppayyur, and Chengottukavu have one vacancy each.
