Patients troubled by doctors' negligence

Two patients, who had to undergo surgeries, were left in panic, owing to the negligence by the doctors, at Mallegowda district hospital in Chikkamagaluru on Thursday.

The patients were told to come prepared to the hospital for surgeries at 9 am and when they arrieved with empty stomachs, they were made to sit in the operation theatre, with patients’ gown on. But, though the surgeon Dr Kumar Naika came in the morning on time, anesthesia specialist Dr Chandrashekhar Salimutt did not turn up.

The surgeon retured after waiting for long. The anesthesia specialist appeared on the scene at 11 am, but, Dr Kumar Naika was not prepared to come at the time. 

Opposing the negligent attitude of the hospital and the doctors, Dalit Sangharsha Samithi district unit Secretary N P Ishwar, Suresh and others staged a protest in front of the hospital.

“Even after the Deputy Commissioner S P Shadakshariswamy spoke to district surgeon Dr Doddamallappa about the matter, the surgeon did not respond immediately and said that he was in a video conference”, Ishwar said.

When spoke to anesthesia specialist Dr Chandrashekhar Salimutt, he said he meant no offense and was only waiting for the surgeon to come.

The patients, waited till 1.15 am. When the district surgeon and Dr Kumar Naika arrived at the hospital, the relatives of the patients took task to the doctors. The surgeon spoke to the anesthesia specialist and made arrangements towards the surgery.

Later, the district surgeons reacting to mediapersons, said that the number of patients has been increasing and there are no adequate medical staff in the hospital. Hence, doctors are forced to work under pressure.

The problem could be solved to an extent if the hospital is upgraded or it is being merged with government medical college, which is yet to be established.