The Kerala government has begun work to end a practice that has long drawn criticism of its public healthcare system: Patients being admitted on hospital floors because of overcrowding.The initiative will first be rolled out at the Government Medical College Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram, and the Government Medical College Hospital, Kozhikode, Health Minister K Muraleedharan said on Sunday, according to PTI.One of the first steps will be shifting the fever clinic at the Thiruvananthapuram medical college to the Pulayanarkotta Chest Disease Hospital, where around 200 beds will be arranged for patients.The move follows a decision taken on Saturday at a meeting chaired by Muraleedharan with senior officials from the health and medical education departments and heads of major hospitals in the district, PTI reports.

Focus on reducing overcrowding

Muraleedharan said the government also plans to tackle congestion at Kozhikode Medical College by constructing a new block using Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds.“Patients are being accommodated on the floor in Kozhikode Medical College as well. There is sufficient space on the campus to set up an additional ward and shift patients there. The objective is to completely do away with the practice of admitting patients on the floor,” the minister said.According to the minister, the initiative is being coordinated by the director of medical education and the director of health services.The issue of patients being treated on hospital floors had recently triggered widespread criticism of the health department. The government’s latest plan now shifts the focus from managing overcrowding to preventing floor admissions altogether, according to PTI.