ANANTAPUR: Maternity Child Hospital (MCH) on the premises of Hindupur Government General Hospital in Anantapur district has a bed strength of 150, but just one gynaecologist against the required six. The overburdened doctor, C Neeraja Wakkare, has applied for leave, but it was never accepted. “What am I supposed to do? If it was a matter of one or two days, I could have managed. The pressure on me seems to be increasing by the minute,” she said.
What’s worse, the hospital does not have a single paediatrician, though the allotted strength is four.
The average occupancy rate of the hospital is 110 and around 60 outpatients visit every day. According to hospital records, in July, 223 normal and 103 C-section deliveries were conducted.
The hospital was set up in Hindupur, the constituency of actor-politico Nandamuri Balakrishna, on a budget of `23 crore. It was inaugurated in January 2017 amid much fanfare and the Hindupur Government Hospital, which was previously known as Vaidya Vidhana Hospital, was upgraded to a government general hospital. The actual strength of the hospital should be 108, but there are only 73 members now, including a gynaecologist, staff nurses, NMMs, midwives and other staffers.
A few months ago, there were three gynaecologists at MCH, but one of them resigned unable to bear the pressure and another has gone on a long leave due to the same reason. To cope up with the increasing pressure, a doctor from Madakasira, Dr. Dada Baden, visits the hospital twice a week to perform C-sections. The lack of staff and no proper response from staffers at MCH, has forced several patients coming to Hindupur from different villages in the region, to seek treatment at private hospitals.
“There is no other alternative. Particularly in emergency cases. Most cases, however, are referred to Anantapur Government Hospital. Though unable to bear the expenses, several patients have no choice but to get admitted to private hospitals,” says S Shabbir Basha of Rehmat Nagar in Hindupur.
He admitted his pregnant wife to MCH last Saturday and witnessed three such cases being referred to Anantapur Government General Hospital on the same day. The track record of the hospital with regard to maternal mortality rate and infant mortality rate is not that good and deaths of newborns is only increasing. Since the inauguration of MCH in January 2017, at least three new mothers have died.
The number of newborn deaths in the period stands at 157 and the number of miscarriages, 87.
Protests by families of victims has become a regular affair at the hospital.When the same was pointed out to hospital superintendent K Kesavulu, he admitted that infant deaths had increased, but was quick to dismiss it as a common occurrence. “We have written to higher ups seeking more staff,” he said.