HYDERABAD: Niloufer Hospital on Tuesday rejected allegations of a shortage of beds for pregnant women after attendants staged a protest, claiming expectant mothers were made to sit on chairs for several hours due to a lack of beds.
Responding to the allegations, in-charge Medical Superintendent Dr G Vijay Kumar said the images circulating on social media were taken out of context and did not reflect the patient management system followed at the hospital.
He said the hospital handles a large number of high-risk pregnancies and follows a triage system based on the severity of each case. Women requiring intensive monitoring are admitted to designated high-risk beds and the High Dependency Unit (HDU), while those in the early stages of labour are advised to sit, rest or walk until active labour begins.
“Women in early labour may have to wait for six to eight hours before delivery. During this period, they are monitored through investigations such as non-stress tests and ultrasound examinations. Asking them to sit or walk during early labour is a routine obstetric practice and should not be mistaken for denial of treatment,” he said.
Refuting allegations that 47 patients were sharing 19 beds, Vijay Kumar clarified that the figure referred only to specialised high-risk obstetric beds and not the hospital’s total bed strength. He said the hospital has separate HDU, high-risk and general ward beds, and patients are shifted to adjacent wards whenever admissions surge.
Vijay Kumar said 16 caesarean sections and 13 normal deliveries were conducted on Monday, with additional patients accommodated in adjacent wards.
