SANGAREDDY: For families walking into a government hospital in Sangareddy district, the biggest concern is often not the cost of treatment, but whether the system will work when they need it to.
The concern came into focus at Zaheerabad Area Hospital on Thursday after autopsies of a couple killed in a road accident were delayed. A Zaheerabad resident, speaking on condition of anonymity, told TNIE that “Dr Bhavana did not report for duty at around 2 pm on Thursday, delaying the autopsies. The issue eventually reached the Health minister, who ordered an inquiry.”
Denying that a private doctor had been called to conduct the autopsies, hospital superintendent Dr Kiran Kumar said, “The doctor on duty was absent without prior notice. Although a private doctor had visited the hospital for other work, he was not called for the autopsies. A doctor from Kohir was later brought in to conduct them.”
Taking note of the issue, officials investigated the incident on Friday and submitted their report to Health minister Damodar Rajanarasimha.
However, this is not the first time Zaheerabad Area Hospital has come under scrutiny. Relatives had earlier staged protests after a newborn died following an alleged delay in intervention, with staff reportedly waiting for a normal delivery instead of acting sooner. The Health minister had ordered an inquiry into that incident as well.
These concerns are particularly significant as Sangareddy is the home district of the health minister.
At Jogipet government hospital, three doctors were suspended following allegations that they were running private clinics while a private doctor was being deployed in their place at the government facility.
The string of complaints and action has also prompted questions about accountability within the district’s healthcare administration. A senior citizen from Zaheerabad asked, “Why has the situation at government hospitals in the district failed to improve despite the District Coordinator of Hospital Services (DCH), District Medical and Health Officer (DMHO) and District Collector being responsible for monitoring their functioning and addressing shortcomings?”
With disciplinary action and inquiries following one incident after another, residents are now asking whether these measures will bring lasting accountability or simply lead to another inquiry when the next complaint emerges.
