KHAMMAMl: TB patients in Bhadrachalam are suffering due to lack of doctors at the 20-bed additional TB centre, for the past six months. As a result, many patients are returning home distressed, as most of them come from remote tribal areas and cannot travel long distances to seek treatment elsewhere. They are calling on the government to appoint a permanent doctor to ensure proper care for patients.
This TB centre, established decades ago, has served thousands of patients from the Bhadrachalam agency area. While there are two sanctioned doctor posts, only one doctor was posted until six months ago. Since then, the centre has been without a doctor. The staff at the centre stated that the doctor appointed at the hospital is in-charge for eight other hospitals.
N Krishna, a TB patient lamented: “The doctor who was previously posted was transferred six months ago, and no replacement has been appointed since. Due to the absence of a doctor, patients are not receiving proper treatment. As there is no doctor, the staff is also not adhering to regular office hours, often arriving later and leaving early.”