Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 11 (IANS): While Kerala has always flouted its high health indices as one of its major developmental benchmarks, the presence of around 250 patients at government hospitals even after several months is a major shocker to the state's much-hyped healthcare system.

Most of those who are in the verandahs of general hospitals have close family members, but they are not being accepted back to the family after spending months in the government hospitals of the state.

State health minister, Veena George, admitted this after a news report on 42 patients even after being cured were continuing in Thiruvananthapuram Government Medical College as their relatives were not taking them back home.

The minister pointed out that the presence of such patients is a big issue for the government hospitals of the state which are hard-pressed for beds and other facilities. The Kerala government is planning to rehabilitate such abandoned patients by having a direct tie-up with registered voluntary organisations that are catering to orphans and those abandoned in the streets.

It may be recalled that 14 of the 42 patients who were found abandoned at Thiruvananthapuram Government Medical College were rehabilitated by a private charitable trust based out of Kottarakara in Kollam district of Kerala.

Sadly, the abandoned persons include those in their 30s to octogenarians. Most of the elderly were not forthcoming and did not reveal the details of their families. Even as their own families had turned a blind eye to them, the abandoned people had a sigh of relief as Doctors and Nurses of the Medical College hospital rose up toAthe occasion and had been feeding those in the hospitals since the time they were admitted.