The Health Department has reminded staff working in government hospitals and medical colleges that patients need more than medicines and medical treatment — they also require courteous care, clear communication and emotional support.
The move comes amid recurring complaints from patients and their attendants about the behaviour of some employees, including allegations of rude conduct, poor communication and a failure to provide assistance that falls within their official duties.
To address these concerns, the Health Department has introduced a special training programme aimed at improving the communication skills, service etiquette and public interaction of healthcare employees. The initiative is intended to ensure that patients receive more respectful and patient-friendly services across government healthcare institutions.
Medical officers have been exempted from the mandatory training programme.
According to the department, it receives numerous complaints from patients and their attendants regarding staff behaviour and the quality of interaction they experience while seeking treatment. Complaints include employees failing to offer necessary assistance, ineffective communication, rude behaviour and unsatisfactory interaction with the public.
The department has stressed that such incidents can have consequences beyond individual grievances. Poor treatment of patients can affect their overall healthcare experience and may also undermine public confidence and trust in the government healthcare system.
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The new training programme will focus on several areas, including patient care, communication skills, public relations, professional ethics, inappropriate workplace behaviour, grievance redressal and effective service delivery.
Particular attention will also be given to security personnel working in hospitals. The department noted that poor interaction with security staff is a familiar experience for many people visiting government hospitals, with several disputes reportedly beginning at this level.
As a result, the department has directed that security personnel who have not completed the required training should neither be appointed nor permitted to continue in service.
The training programme will cover employees working at a wide range of government healthcare facilities, including medical college hospitals, district and general hospitals, women and children’s hospitals, model hospitals, taluk headquarters hospitals and taluk hospitals that handle large numbers of patients.
The Apex Trauma and Emergency Learning Centre in Thiruvananthapuram will be responsible for conducting the training for staff working at medical college hospitals. The State Institute of Health and Family Welfare will oversee the programme at other healthcare institutions.
The department has also planned a cascading training system. Master trainers who complete the programme at the designated institutions will subsequently train employees at grassroots-level healthcare facilities, allowing the initiative to reach staff across the wider government healthcare network.
The Health Department has directed that the training programme be completed within two months. Authorities have also stressed that the exercise should not remain limited to classroom training, but must result in a visible improvement in the way patients and their attendants are treated at government hospitals.
The initiative is aimed at strengthening not only the quality of healthcare delivery but also the human side of patient care, with respectful communication, professional conduct and responsive service being treated as essential parts of the public healthcare experience.
