CHENNAI: Nearly 1 lakh people in and around eight villages in Pazhaverkadu (Pulicat) suffer as the government hospital in the locality does not have enough doctors, nurses or pharmacists. The villagers are often forced to travel to Ponneri Taluk hospital, some 20 km away, or farther to Chennai even for X-ray tests.
Around 60 villages in eight village panchayats – Pazhaverkadu, Kottaikuppam, Lighthouse Kuppam, Thangalperumpuzham, Avurivakkam, Kadappakamm Piralayampakkam, and Tirupalaivanam – depend on the non-taluk government hospital at Pazhaverkadu.
The hospital handles around 450 outpatients a day and gets 20 inpatients but functions with one doctor. There is an X-ray machine but no technician is available. Patients who need X-rays, ECGs, and minor surgery are sent to Ponneri Taluk hospital.
According to sources, the government sanctioned a paediatrician, a gynaecologist, two general physicians, six permanent nurses, two pharmacists, a lab technician grade II, a radiographer, a physiotherapy technician, three workers, and sanitary workers among others for the hospital.
When TNIE recently visited the hospital, it was operating with one general physician treating patients. The doctor had come in late because he had to attend to an emergency delivery case in another government hospital the previous night. A nurse was managing the patients till he arrived.
Speaking to TNIE, A Murugan, general secretary of the Tamil Nadu Fishermen Association and resident of Pazhaverkadu said, “At night only the nurses handle many of the emergency patients and will refer them to Ponneri taluk hospital. The cases that cannot be managed there are sent to Government Stanley Medical Hospital in Chennai, 70 km away.”
The hospital receives cases of assault, poisoning, road accidents and chest pain. Fishermen come with bleeding injuries that they suffer when sailing.
“The nurses give us some tablets and tell us to come in the morning when the doctor is available. This is the standard response for any emergency. How do they expect the patient to be alive the next day if it is something serious?” said S Fathima, a resident of Pazhaverkadu.
Fathima had to wait for long to get medicines because the nurse who was handling the patients had to finish and rush to the pharmacy to distribute the tablets. “There is no pharmacist for months,” said a source.
Durai Mahendran, president, Pazhaverkadu Makkal Nalvazhvu Sangam, said, “We have given many representations. No doctor stays here, even if they come. They will be diverted to other hospitals.”
“Of the three doctors, one is diverted to Gummudipoondi taluk hospital, and another is the Chief Medical Officer of the hospital, who has to attend meetings and other things. So, one doctor attends to the patients. There is no in-patient most of the time, so the doctor will be assigned on call duty only. There is manpower shortage. More than 1,000 doctors were recruited by the health department recently, but none was posted here. Many doctors do not prefer to work in remote areas,” said an official source.