DHARWAD: A video clip of new mothers sleeping on the floors of Dharwad District Hospital has gone viral, raising questions over the state of medical treatment available for women. The incident captured in the video is said to have occurred last week. Social activists and the patients have expressed concern at the hospital management and authorities for not ensuring adequate facilities.
Shrishailgouda Kamatar, a social activist, said the foundation stone for a new maternity building was laid six months ago. “But till now the construction work has not been initiated. The negligence of the authorities is leading to the problem. The authorities should stop giving reasons and look at providing facilities,” he said.
Giridhar Kuknoor, District Surgeon, said the hospital is getting renovated. He also admitted that they were facing difficulties in connection with infrastructure, but they have not compromised with the service.
He also said two years back, the hospital used to get around 500 out-patients, but the number of patients has increased threefold. “Almost all the beds were full, and in 70 hours, as many as 40 deliveries took place. The new mothers were asked to wait for some time till the staff arranged rooms for them. In a couple of hours, the adjustment was made,” he added.
The hospital gets patients from three districts. As it is a government hospital, one cannot say the beds are full. The prime duty is to provide treatment and all the new mothers and their babies are fine, he said.Another staffer said the building work will commence soon, and the delay was due to the no-objection certificate from the Agrology Department. “The building (ground plus two floors) will come on the premises in 18 months at an estimated cost of `26 crore from the Central government,” he said.“The hospital is under CCTV surveillance, and every ward is observed. The staffs are aware of this and there is no chance of any misdeed,” he added.