Lack of functional facilities at govt. hospital in Manapparai causes concern

A view of the maternity and child welfare block of the District Government Headquarters Hospital in Manapparai. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT Lack of adequate functional facilities at the newly built maternity and child welfare block and other departments of the District Government Headquarters Hospital in Manapparai is causing concern among patients.The 50-bed maternity facility, built at an estimated cost of ₹10 crore, had a delayed inauguration in October 2025, several months after the building works were completed.At present, the Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (CEmONC) department receives anywhere between 100 and 150 cases a day from in and around Manapparai. Given this high footfall, residents and social activists said that it was appaling that crucial diagnostics such as pregnancy tests, biopsy, and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) are not available in the hospital.Patients are referred to the K.A.P. Viswanatham Government Medical College attached to the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital in Tiruchi for several tests. The turnaround time for the test results could take between five to seven days.“Women who wish to know about their pregnancy status, and cannot afford private healthcare, have to wait for several days until the results are communicated from Tiruchi. In medical emergencies, patients requiring urgent MRI diagnostics are often sent to other hospitals and then re-directed to the Manapparai GH. This creates anxiety and stress for the patient and their family. The authorities should take steps to rectify the situation,” said AITUC district deputy secretary Mohamed Hussain.When contacted, hospital sources told The Hindu that steps were taken to resolve the issues. “We are in the process of installing equipment for pregnancy blood tests, and the doctors and technical staff are getting trained to use it. Once staff orientation is completed, the tests will be available in our hospital soon. Urine culture test is now available in Manapparai GH,” a senior source said on Tuesday.However, the official said that the hospital still does not have a cardiologist on its medical team. “Patients are advised to seek advice from a specialist doctor and then revert to us if required. Similarly for advanced oncology care, we refer patients to bigger the Government Hospitals in Tiruchi, Madurai or Thanjavur,” the official added. Published - September 22, 2026 07:09 pm IST