<p>“The hospital is dirty. The stench from the toilets is enough to make a healthy person fall sick,” said Ranjana from Mangolpuri. She is among hundreds of patients who have observed the unhygienic conditions prevailing at the 500-bed Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital (BSAH) in north-west Delhi.<br /><br /></p>.<p>“The services are good. There is no delay in getting results of medical tests. But it is one of the dirtiest hospitals in the city,” said Surya Haldar, a mechanic from Jharkhand.<br /><br />It is the largest government hospital in the area and it caters to people in north and north-west districts.<br /><br />Hundreds of patients also come from neighbouring Haryana.<br /><br />“Cleanliness is a major issue. I went to inspect the third floor of the hospital and found that things were really bad,” said Dr C M Khanijo, medical superintendent, BSAH.<br /><br />Patients at the outpatient department also said doctors do not treat them well.<br /><br />“I have been coming to BSAH for the last one-and-a-half-year to get treatment for a neurological disorder. The attitude of the staff, including doctors, has changed for the worse in the last six months,” said Rajkumari from Pitampura.<br /><br />“Most of the doctors are busy talking among themselves. They also take a lot of time with each patient,” said Rajkumari.<br /><br />However, Dr Khanijo said it is a biased perception of patients.<br /><br />“The expectations of people from a super-speciality hospital like ours are big. But a lot of workload leads to a mismatch between expectations and actual service delivery. Doctors are also human beings and there is possibility of misconduct at times,” said Dr Khanijo.<br /><br />“We have asked the authorities to expand the hospital and turn it into a 750-bed one,” he added.<br />Another problem that is prevalent at almost all government hospitals in the city is the long queue of patients waiting to get free medicines distributed by the government. <br /><br />“I stood in the line from 1 pm to 4 pm to get medicine for my wife and our newborn,” said Bijay from Narela. He is a labourer who had to let go off one day’s wage to get medicines.<br /><br />The pharmacy in the basement has eight counters. However, due to lack of staff only three to four open for the service of the patients who come in for treatment.</p>
<p>“The hospital is dirty. The stench from the toilets is enough to make a healthy person fall sick,” said Ranjana from Mangolpuri. She is among hundreds of patients who have observed the unhygienic conditions prevailing at the 500-bed Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital (BSAH) in north-west Delhi.<br /><br /></p>.<p>“The services are good. There is no delay in getting results of medical tests. But it is one of the dirtiest hospitals in the city,” said Surya Haldar, a mechanic from Jharkhand.<br /><br />It is the largest government hospital in the area and it caters to people in north and north-west districts.<br /><br />Hundreds of patients also come from neighbouring Haryana.<br /><br />“Cleanliness is a major issue. I went to inspect the third floor of the hospital and found that things were really bad,” said Dr C M Khanijo, medical superintendent, BSAH.<br /><br />Patients at the outpatient department also said doctors do not treat them well.<br /><br />“I have been coming to BSAH for the last one-and-a-half-year to get treatment for a neurological disorder. The attitude of the staff, including doctors, has changed for the worse in the last six months,” said Rajkumari from Pitampura.<br /><br />“Most of the doctors are busy talking among themselves. They also take a lot of time with each patient,” said Rajkumari.<br /><br />However, Dr Khanijo said it is a biased perception of patients.<br /><br />“The expectations of people from a super-speciality hospital like ours are big. But a lot of workload leads to a mismatch between expectations and actual service delivery. Doctors are also human beings and there is possibility of misconduct at times,” said Dr Khanijo.<br /><br />“We have asked the authorities to expand the hospital and turn it into a 750-bed one,” he added.<br />Another problem that is prevalent at almost all government hospitals in the city is the long queue of patients waiting to get free medicines distributed by the government. <br /><br />“I stood in the line from 1 pm to 4 pm to get medicine for my wife and our newborn,” said Bijay from Narela. He is a labourer who had to let go off one day’s wage to get medicines.<br /><br />The pharmacy in the basement has eight counters. However, due to lack of staff only three to four open for the service of the patients who come in for treatment.</p>
