Super speciality courses a distant dream in SVMC

Tirupati: The 57- year-old SV Medical College (SVMC) is still looking for super speciality courses. There is no super speciality block even today. It doesn’t have the PG and the senior resident (SR) hostels. And there is no surprise that the medical college which is having many versatile personalities as its alumni have no super speciality medical courses, whereas Kurnool Medical college is offering them.

SVMC was established in 1960 and the first batch of students graduated in 1967. Subsequently in 1975-76 post graduate courses were started in the college. Now it has an intake of 200 undergraduate students and about 125 post graduate courses. But the super speciality courses become a distant dream. Sri Venkateswara Institute of Medical Sciences (SVIMS) which was functioning from 1993 is offering these courses which only show the government’s apathy towards the renowned SVMC.

The teaching hospital SVR Ruia Government General Hospital (SVRRGGH) spread over 200 acres, was developed horizontally. In fact it’s also a major problem there. Each department is located at a different place. Not only doctors and other staff but the patients and their wards also find it extremely difficult to move from one place to another. The problem is more severe during nights. To cite an example, the distance between the Orthopedic OP & OT (operation theatre) and the ward is more than half kilometre. One can imagine the plight of the patients who get operated and shifted on a stretcher to the ward on the bad roads.

The Hospital is having 1020 beds, almost 27 Operation theatres and 25 ICUs. Still there is no centralised canteen in the Hospital to cater the needs of SVMC and SVVGGH. Adding to its sorry state of affairs, the hospital to which patients from Rayalaseema districts and even from Nellore and Prakasam districts come has no ambulance.

The senior doctors were asking, how to get super speciality seats under these circumstances? They are saying that first a super speciality block has to come with a vertical structure. All the related medicine and surgical departments like cardiology – cardio thoracic surgery; nephrology – urology; neurology – neurosurgery have to be located at one place. Similarly, plastic surgery, endocrine surgery, surgical gastroenterology, surgical oncology and surgical endocrinology departments are to be made available. Once required infrastructure is ready, latest equipment should be provided.

Once these two requirements are fulfilled, doctors will come to work here. Then, it may not be much difficult to get the super speciality medical courses.The pathetic situation is the government machinery or the elected representatives were never focussed their attention on this. One senior Professor said that the long term vision is lacking in the government. Whenever the higher authorities come here they create much hype that so many things are coming. But where are the results, he asked. One more reason perhaps is that the neighbouring SVIMS has overshadowed the development here and even the super speciality courses, he opined.

In CT surgery, cancer surgery and plastic surgery departments there are one professor and one assistant professor. When there is no full-fledged cardiology department how can cardio thoracic department get patients, asked another Professor. When the Cancer department is not there, what the doctors have to do?

The Principal of SVMC Dr NV Ramanaiah told The Hans that, super speciality block is the immediate requirement with all equipment. Unless that is there, super speciality courses will never come. The college is having experienced faculty. Their hands are to be strengthened by providing the infrastructure and latest equipment.