BROKEN SYSTEM, BLEEDING FAITH

Kerala’s health sector, long seen as a model, is buckling under a structural crisis

- BY NIRMAL JOVIAL

ON MARCH 13, 27-year-old Vishnu from Ranni, in Kerala’s Pathanamthitta district, was returning to Kochi—where he worked in alumin-ium fabrication—after visiting his father, Biju, an autorickshaw driver recovering from a serious fall. But tragedy struck en route: Vishnu met with a major road accident. His right leg was crushed, both tibia and fibula fractured and exposed. Overnight, life changed for him and his family.

He was rushed to Government Medical College Hospital (GMCH), Kottayam—one of Kerala's oldest and most crucial public hospitals. “Surgery was urgent, but the hospital didn’t have the required metal rod implant,” Vishnu recalled. “The doctor—one of the seniormost in the department—asked us to buy it from an outside agency.”

“At the agency, the implants were laid on the ground to be sorted,” said Biju. “We bought them for ₹28,000 to avoid delays and rushed them to the hospital. I still don’t know if they were sterilised before surgery.”

Post surgery, complications followed. Vishnu developed multiple pus-draining wounds and a severe infection. “My condition kept getting worse,” he says. When they returned to the hospital—overcrowded and overwhelmed—the doctor allegedly downplayed the issue.

With the infection worsening and confidence in the public hospital eroding, Vishnu was shifted to a private super-speciality hospital in Thiruvalla. “On day one, they gave us a bill of ₹12,000 just for tests,” he said. Biju was prepared to risk everything—including the family’s ten cents of land—to ensure his son's recovery. “I just wanted to see my boy walk again,” he said.

Vishnu stayed at the private hospital for seven days. The infection was brought under partial control, but doctors revealed a grim news after an MRI: amputation appeared to be the only option. The family panicked.