VISAKHAPATNAM: At a time when people opt to get treated at corporate hospitals, a Group-I officer has preferred to deliver her baby at a government hospital to repose faith among the public that state-run hospitals too offer good treatment.
Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO) of Vizianagaram Hemalatha D gave birth at the government hospital for women and child care at Vizianagaram after she got herself admitted there as her husband was away in Chintapalle.
Speaking to TNIE on Saturday, she said government hospitals are as good as private ones. “The facilities have improved, and patients are continuously monitored by doctors. It’s only out of fear that people opt for private hospitals, and end up spending thousands of rupees,” she said, adding that government hospitals offer free treatment.
The RDO said that during an official inspection she found the hospital to be good in all aspects, and even approached a government doctor for a regular check-up after duty. The doctor advised her to go to Ghosha Hospital, but the family took a collective decision to opt for a government hospital, she explained.
‘Room was sanitised, all precautions were taken’
“After a pre-lunch session, I went home from work and contacted my husband, who advised me to immediately go to the hospital. I skipped lunch as a precaution and went there alone,” she said, adding that the hospital was a specialised one for women and childcare.
“I got admitted around 2 pm on Thursday and the doctors waited till 11.30 pm for a normal delivery. Doctors at private hospitals would have gone for a Caesarean section even if it was not needed,” she said. This was the RDO’s second child. Elaborating on her experience, she said the entire ward and labour room were fully sanitised, with doctors and nurses following all precautions.
“Even my husband was not allowed to visit the ward in view of the Covid-19 precautions,” she pointed out. The officer’s decision to give birth at a government hospital received appreciation from various quarters. Hemalatha, the state’s second-rank holder in the Group I exam, joined as RDO at Vizianagaram in 2018 after training in the district. She earlier worked in Parvatipuram as divisional accounts officer in the engineering department. Her husband Thaviti Naidu works as Forest Range Officer at Chintapalle. They hail from Srikakulam district.