JOIN USAt Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, 45-year-old Kamlesh requested a safai karamchari to break down the medical prescription for her.
“It says you need to undergo a blood test tomorrow. Do not have food before it,” said Bhola, a Sulabh volunteer.
Bhola's job is to keep the hospital clean.
“However, I try and help out patients who fail to comprehend prescriptions,” he said.
OPDs in hospitals can often be confusing for patients, especially if they are visiting the hospital for the first time.
“There was a queue of around 80 other people behind me. I cannot blame the doctor for not explaining the details,” said Kamlesh.
Bimala Devi, a resident of Patel Nagar, has been visiting the hospital for 15 years now.
“Decoding prescriptions is a problem as doctors are always in a hurry. Plus, the sprawling campus without definite signages add to our woes,” said the orthopaedic patient.
Delhi and central government hospitals here see a huge number of outstation patients. But there too few welfare officers at these hospitals to address their concerns.
While patients facing difficulty in understanding how hospitals function sound usual, Lok Nayak Hospital recently saw a family of seven staying in the waiting room for five days before their problem was sorted out.
Last week, 20-old Nirmala brought her 18-day-old son to the hospital from Aligarh.
Having lost her husband three days after she gave birth, Nirmala was accompanied by six family members.
“A local paediatrician referred us to GB Pant Hospital on April 15. We reached Delhi the same day. From there (GB Pant), we were referred to Lok Nayak Hospital,” said Manish Sharma, a relative.
The infant suffers from a condition called frontoethmoidal encephalocele, in which a neural tube defect leads to sac-like protrusion of the brain tissue.
Following a check-up at LNJP, the child was referred to GB Pant Hospital for neurosurgical intervention.
Though the prescription showed the instructions clearly mentioned, the family continued to wait at LNJP for the next four days.
“We are illiterate. Nobody told us exactly where to go. It was on Sunday that we realised we have to take the baby to GB Pant,” said Nirmala.
A doctor at the OPD said, “The prescription shows the family was thoroughly briefed.”
Siddharth Ramji, medical superintendent of the hospital, had last week told Deccan Herald that the authorities are planning to induct 15-20 patient welfare officers in the next one month.
“We are aware of the difficulty that outstation patients face. Once patient welfare officers are more visible in the OPD, this problem is likely to be solved,” he said.