JOIN USUnattended, patients flee government hospitals
Two major government hospitals in the City, KC General Hospital and Jayanagar General Hospital, wore a deserted look for the third consecutive day on Sunday due to the ongoing protest by the medical staff.
Around 65,000 health workers, including doctors, nurses, paramedical staff, health assistants and Group ‘D’ workers, have boycotted work from Friday demanding that the government hand over the administration of 10 district hospitals back to the Health and Family Welfare department from the Medical Education department. They are also demanding timely payment of salaries and changes to transfer policy.
The number of inpatients at the KC General Hospital, which had only a few personnel on duty on Sunday, has come down to 39 from 177 in a span of two days.
Most of the patients, mainly from post-natal care unit, chose to get discharged from the hospital. While there were no doctors to attend them regularly, patients were also facing problems due to water scarcity in toilets.
“Due to the unhygienic conditions in the hospital, many women who have delivered have gone home without even getting their stitches removed,” said Yamuna, attendant of a patient. The ICU was locked and there were empty beds in many wards.
The unkempt toilets and uncleared garbage caused inconvenience to the patients who have been compelled to stay in the hospital for the completion of their treatment.
Manjunath, who has undergone an orthopaedic procedure, said the available health staff were not administering medicines on time.
Jayanagar General Hospital was no different. Of the 148 inpatients, only 90 remained in the hospital on Sunday. It had five doctors working on contract, three administrators and a handful of nursing staff.
A doctor from the hospital said that the medical services have been totally paralysed. Many patients have opted to get discharged and shift to other hospitals.
Pvt hospitals
As far as Bangalore is concerned, the health services have not been severely affected as there is a strong presence of private hospitals and nursing homes and four major government hospitals in the City: Victoria, Vanivilas, Minto and Bowring and Lady Curzon functioning under the Medical Education department.
Outpatients who were denied treatment at Jayanagar General Hospital are visiting Sanjay Gandhi Institute of Trauma and Orthopaedics. Dr B G Tilak, Medical Superintendent of the hospital, said that there has been an increase in the number of outpatients visiting the hospital in the last two days.