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The State’s first Institute of Sports Medicine at Government Medical College Hospital, Kozhikode, has remained closed for over a year. | Photo Credit: K. Ragesh

Athletes and sports students seeking specialised treatment for injuries are in a predicament as the State’s first Institute of Sports Medicine at Government Medical College Hospital (MCH), Kozhikode, has remained closed for over a year.

At present, they are forced to rely on a single specialist at the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation department (PMRD) at the MCH. Sports coaches and athletes, however, maintain that the facilities available at the PMRD are ill-equipped to address sports-related injuries.

“Patients with sports injuries have to wait for a long time for treatment because the centre has only one specialised doctor and lacks sufficient paramedical staff. The lack of equipment in the PMRD has also affected treatment,” said a sports coach from Kozhikode. He added that private facilities were often unaffordable for sports students.

“Regular physiotherapy focusses on helping patients return to normal daily life, but athletes require specialised treatment that helps them return to the pitch,” said a football player.

According to sources, the institute has equipment worth over ₹2 crore for sports injury treatment, which is deteriorating due to prolonged disuse.

The institute’s premises have become overgrown with vegetation and turned into a hub for stray dogs. “Facilities such as the physiotherapy unit and gymnasium are no longer functioning,” said T. Arjun, a resident of Chevayur.

Even 15 years after its establishment in 2010, the institute has no full-time specialist doctors. In its initial years, doctors from the PMRD handled outpatient services.

A medical college official said a proposal to set up a full-fledged Sports Medicine department at the hospital had been submitted to the Health department in 2022. Despite repeated demands, no decision has been taken yet. The official said he hoped the new government would take a favourable stand, as government medical colleges in the State currently do not offer postgraduate seats in sports medicine.

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