PSHRC seeks report on ‘lack of infrastructure’ at Faridkot medical college
PSHRC ordered the director, health services and family welfare, to submit a report on the alleged lack of infrastructure at the government-run Guru Gobind Singh Medical College (GGSMCH) at Faridkot
The Punjab State Human Rights Commission (PSHRC) ordered the director, health services and family welfare, to submit a report on the alleged lack of infrastructure at the government-run Guru Gobind Singh Medical College (GGSMCH) at Faridkot.
A complaint has been filed by Gurpreet Singh Chandbaja of Bhai Ghanaiya Cancer Roko Sewa Society alleging that the GGSMCH is lacking in basic infrastructure.
In its order the PSHRC said that let the complaint be put up before the director, health services and family welfare, Chandigarh, to submit his report before the next hearing on July 25.
The GGSMCH is a tertiary care hospital, which caters to patients from various districts of south Malwa region- Faridkot, Ferozepur, Fazilka, Mansa, Moga, Muktsar and Bathinda, and also from Sri Ganganagar and Hanumangarh districts of Rajasthan.
Chandbaja in his complaint claimed that the basic facilities for treatment of patients available in the GGSMCH are highly inadequate. A type of chaos is prevailing in this medical college. “The machines in various departments have been rendered obsolete, having outlived their utility and often remain out of order. Cobalt 60 machine in cancer department, Pet-CT scan machine in nuclear medicine department, MRI machine in the radiology department, C-ARM machine in the operation theatre and Holter machine in the medicine department is not working properly,” he said.
He further said that due to the lack of advanced trauma centre, major accidental cases have to be referred to big hospitals, adding that the new operation theatre complex is required to be commissioned at the earliest.
“The number of doctors and staff such as staff nurses and helpers is inadequate. The essential medicines are not available in an emergency. Ordinarily, during an emergency, an X-ray machine and ultrasound are not available and patients have to wait for several hours for an X-ray. There is a shortage of stretchers and wheelchairs in the emergency department, which requires to be equipped properly with such basic infrastructure. Besides, there is a requirement of super-specialty surgeon for cancer and oncology surgeon,” he said.
“The MRI Machine available in the radiology department is more than 10 years old and this machine cannot conduct the latest type of scans. The patients have to wait for several days for getting scan reports. Thus, there is a need to increase the number of doctors and technicians so that patients may get the report on the same day and may get their treatment done within 24 hours,” he said.
“In test laboratories, machines are required for separating plasma, the deep-freezer, and other machines are more than 10-15-years-old and are mostly remaining out of order. During the spread of dengue disease, people had to go to other cities for purchasing SDPs at an exorbitant price. In the absence of any laboratory technician in the blood bank, most of the work is done by laboratory attendants, which is a dangerous practice,” he alleged.
He also urged the commission to direct the GGSMCH to utilise the huge land lying unused on the premises for growing trees, to make the hospital environment friendly, and replace old machines with new ones.