Cuttack: Intensive care still remains pipe dream for patients admitted to the Cuttack District Headquarters Hospital (DHH), popularly known as City Hospital here.
The lack of intensive care units (ICUs) in the healthcare facility puts many lives at risk. Similarly, the 130-bed hospital does not have ventilators to save the lives of people having breathing problems, sources said.
In the absence of ICUs, the hospital authorities are being forced to shift critically-ill patients to some other hospitals. On the other hand, doctors at the City Hospital are reluctant to carry out major operations on patients as the hospital does not have critical care facility, sources added.
It is learnt that at least 1,200 patients usually visit the hospital on any particular day. Just a few years ago, the hospital had altogether 60 doctors. But, the number has now come down to 30.
Sources claimed that six doctors of the hospital went for higher studies while 12 others were sent to the peripheral hospitals. Besides, 12 doctors were shifted to elsewhere while three doctors retired from the service.
This apart, several posts of attendants are lying vacant in the City Hospital. “Staff crunch is adding to the burden on the doctors as they have to do five night shifts in a month. Besides, the doctors are attending to patients at emergency wards for at least 10 days in a month,” said a source.
When contacted, City Hospital superintendent Sudhanshu Kumar Giri said, “They have raised the ICU and other issues with the state government, but to no avail.”
