Keonjhar: Children and women lying on mats on dirty and unclean corridors and their relatives standing with either saline tubes or blood pouches beside them in the paediatric and obstetrics and gynaecology wards amply indicate the sorry state of healthcare at the district headquarters hospital (DHH).
Shortage of doctors and nurses has made the matter worse even as the district struggles to tackle high infant and mother mortality rates. The Central government has been pumping in crores of rupees under the National Health Mission to improve healthcare delivery system, but the sight of the DHH tells a different tale.
The deplorable condition under which patients are being treated is blamed on shortage of beds and necessary infrastructure at the DHH. According to reports, the child ward is equipped with only 30 beds while the hospital receives an average of 50 to 60 child patients on a daily basis. In the ward, some beds are lying damaged over the years, but they have not been replaced with new ones. Besides, more beds have not been added to the ward for convenience of patients.
Under these circumstances, doctors and hospital staff have no way but to treat patients on verandah of the paediatric ward. Even critical children are being administered saline or infused blood on the floor. The blood pouches or saline bottles are hanged to window bars as a support system or their relatives hold those in their hands.
In summer, the rising mercury and sultry condition have added to the woes of patients, who are often groaning in pain without fans. Most of the newborn patients are fund affected by cerebral malaria, diarrhoea, pneumonia, brain fever, and malnutrition.
Affected by cerebral malaria, two kids of Haridagotha village under Harichandanpur block were shifted from local CHC to the DHH Friday. But the kids – Lalita Munda and Bija Munda – were not given beds. They were treated on the floor with saline tubes hanging precariously from windows.
A daughter of Madhu Munda, a resident of Baraguda under Bansapal block, was admitted to the ward Friday. She was infused blood while she was lying on the floor. Dinesh Hansda, a resident of Anandapur, was found standing with saline bottle in his hand beside his son lying on the floor for some time.
Apart from shortage of beds, the ward is hit by doctor crunch. Ramesh Munda, father of a child patient, said his son is being treated on the floor as a bed was not made available to him. Rina Majhi, a woman, said, “My daughter is being treated on the floor for the last four days. She is being infused blood on the floor. We have to face a lot of difficulties here.”
Paediatric specialist Dr Kishore Chandra Prusty said, “More and more diarrhoea and malaria patients are being admitted. They are laid on floors for treatment. Some beds have been damaged. We have to face a lot of problems in treating child patients when their number crosses 50 a day. There is a shortage of doctors and nurses.”
A new building for the paediatric and obstetrics and gynaecology wards is under construction but its work is moving at a snail’s pace, it was learnt. The paediatric ward needs more beds, doctors, and rest rooms for nurses.
