VIJAYAWADA: A tailor-made diet for patients is the new initiative being considered by the Government General Hospital, Vijayawada. Thanks to pittance of a budget earmarked for it by the hospital, food contractors are not showing interest in taking up the project.
The hospital is learnt to be facing pressure due to internal politics. Food contractors with allegiances to several political parties are not taking up the new food scheme due to the price quoted by the hospital.
Kuns Hospitality in GGH, Vijayawadah is providing three different diet plans to the patients in the Old as well as New GGH. The diet contract of the hospital, which was with Kuns, has been now given to another agency that reportedly has the support of a minister. An enraged Kuns Hospitality manager P Shilpa said, “My father has been supplying food to this hospital for the past 13 years. Not just in Vijayawada, but in KGH in Kurnool. Recently hospital officials, who are against us, said the food is not good. This is due to internal politics.”
It may be noted Kuns Hospitality has been blacklisted following allegations of supplying unhygienic food.
At present, three different diet plans are provided to the patients. The high-protein meal consists of a fruit (normally banana), egg, one vegetable curry, sambar and buttermilk. For breakfast, milk and bread or upma is served and there is no change of menu for dinner (same as lunch). For each of the high-protein diet served, the government incurs an expenditure of `40 per day.
In case of general diet, though the food items are the same, the quantity of rice is limited to a mere 450 gm. For pregnant women, a special diet is served that also consists of peanut chikki, two fruits and curds daily. For this diet, the government incurs an expenditure of `50 to `60 per day.
Speaking to TNIE, GGH, Vijayawada superintendent S Babu Lal said, “It will be good if the government hospitals requisitioned the services of nutritionists and dieticians. Patients can recover quickly if they follow the diet advised by nutritionists. Though the current diet is perfect.”
“I ate the food distributed to patients in the hospital wards. It is quite tasty and nutritious. The allegations over distributing poor quality of food are false. Anyways, we have gone for tenders and given it to some other agency” Bhavani Shankar, RMO, GGH said. The patients too vouch for the tasty food distributed here. V Rathamma, a patient, said, “For the past five days, I have had this food. It tastes just like the food we prepare at home.”
Despite having different diets plans, the hospital is also planning to introduce a custom-made menu for diabetics, heart patients among others. The government also plans to use the services of nutritionists. The hospital officials said with internal politics ruling the roost, the new project might take a long time to take off.