By Sisir Panigrahy
Wide cracks in walls of
various departments, insufficient infrastructure and lack of equipment plague
MKCG Medical College and Hospital (MKCG MCH) here. While tobacco spit marks on
the walls and unbearable stink from the blocked toilets portray a poor picture
of the premier medical college, the patients admitted here also have to fight
the mosquito menace.
Set up in 1961, the 1,081-
bed MKCG MCH is the referral hospital for 10 southern districts and caters to
patients from Andhra Pradesh as well. While lack of infrastructure is
commonplace in this hospital, the least
expected of the authorities is to maintain cleanliness and hygiene on the
hospital premises to prevent infection. However, what you get to see at the MCH
is a testimony to the fact that the authorities concerned are in deep slumber.
Walls in various
departments of the 51-year-old structure have developed deep cracks sans
maintenance, portions of the roofs chip off every month and need to be repaired
on priority. At any given point of time, as many as 800 patients and 4,000
people, including patients’ attendants and hospital staff, can be found in the
wards.
Locals alleged that
although the hospital higher-ups are well aware of the unsafe condition of
MCH’s buildings, they spent money on just plastering the cracks and fixing of
floor tiles.
Amenities to patients too
are non-existent. While the hospital is supposed to provide most of the
medicines to the in- patients, except the normal saline no medicines are
provided to them. Patients are allegedly asked to purchase all the required
medicines, including cotton. Beds in most of the departments are damaged.
In Gynaecology department,
due to shortage of beds pregnant women
and newborn are accommodated on the floor, notwithstanding the risk of
infection. While some departments do not
have important equipment, some have them but are sparingly put to use.
One of them is Polymerase
Chain Reaction (PCR) equipment which can be used to conduct various tests. The
PCR equipment, worth ` 1 crore, was provided to the Microbiology department six
months back. But on the pretext of non-supply of testing kits, the machine is
lying unused.
In many operation
theatres, air conditioners don’t work. Rasananda Mangual, HoD of Surgery
department, said even as the department has facilities to operate four patients
simultaneously, all the four air conditioners in the OT have become defunct.
“The department is
supposed to conduct 3,000 general operations and another 1,500 emergency operations a year. Though the target of
emergency operations is achieved, the number of general operations falls much
short of the target. Doctors in other
departments said although the officials concerned have been informed about the
unsafe buildings in the MKCG, no proper action is being initiated.
Source: New Indian Express
