VIJAYAWADA: The patients at the new Government General Hospital (GGH) in the city are suffering a lot due to poor functioning of the existing medical equipment and lack of basic facilities. Staff scarcity is also hitting the services at the hospital. Junior doctors working at the hospital too are complaining about the poor facilities and demanding that the state government should ensure basic facilities and fill the vacant posts at the earliest.
As many as 1,000 patients are getting admitted to the GGH every day. A majority of them are being referred to the hospital in Guntur citing lack of essential medical facilities and equipment. One of the alarming fact is that computerised tomography (CT scan) is not operated after 7 pm due to lack of technical staff. Adding to the woes, regular repairs of existing ambulances, non-availability of blood in the blood bank, etc., is financially squeezing the poor patients.
There is only one tertiary healthcare centre (THC) for entire Krishna district. The junior doctors at GGH, however, claim that the facilities at THC are no different from the ones available at primary healthcare centers (PHC) in villages.
“We have to wait for four hours for the commencement of treatment due to lack of beds and staff,” says D Ramu, a relative of an accident victim at GGH.
One of the junior doctors, B Tanoj points out that most of the cases at GGH are referred to the hospitals in Guntur. As a result, some patients die in mid way.
Another junior doctor, A Chaitanya, says, “Non-availability of emergency and essential drugs like ryles tubes, foleys cathers, glucose strips, cotton and surgical gloves have been a continuous problem here.”
When TNIE contacted GGH medical superintendent DV Surya Kumari, she attributed the disorganised situation to lack of staff.
“Although we had put up several requests to the officers concerned, there was absolutely no response. “From local politicians to minister and from district authorities to state authorities, we approached every one possible. The government must take an immediate action to resolve the woes of GGH,” she explained.