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Rohtak: Rao expresses dissatisfaction over cleanliness, health facilities during surprise visit at PGIMS
During the surprise inspection, the health minister also found that over 300 medicines that were sent by the state government to PGIMS were not available
Haryana health minister Arti Singh Rao on Saturday conducted a surprise inspection at Post-graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS) in Rohtak, and expressed dissatisfaction over the functioning after patients informed her about the problems faced by them.
Minister Rao visited the Chaudhary Ranbir Singh Out-patient department, where she witnessed a long queue of people waiting to give their blood samples. After seeing only one window open for registration, Rao directed the authorities to open at least two windows for registration, adding the authorities can’t send patients back after 2 pm citing time is over for registration.
Interacting with the media here, minister Rao said that the patients informed her that the registration facility is closed after 2 pm at PGIMS. “The patients come to PGIMS with a hope of getting better treatment. There is no advantage of having such a medical facility where registration is halted after 2 pm every day. I have inspected the OPD and witnessed long queues of people outside the blood sample test room. I directed the authorities to improve the health facilities,” she added.
The minister also expressed dissatisfaction over sanitation and also found that several washrooms were closed on the premises. “Cleanliness should be treated as top priority. The CT scan and MRIs are being done in public private partnership at PGIMS and we need to streamline the mechanism,” she added.
After getting information of the minister’s visit, PGIMS medical superintendent Dr Kundan Mittal reached the OPD, where the minister directed him to improve the sanitation and health facilities while expressing dissatisfaction over current functioning.
During the surprise inspection, the health minister also found that over 300 medicines that were sent by the state government to PGIMS were not available. Rao said that a probe will be initiated in the matter. “The government sends 540 medicines to PGIMS but the chief pharmacist told me that only 200 medicines are available at the store,” she added.
The minister issued strict directions to the PGIMS administration that medicines available at the health institute must be provided to patients from within the facility itself, also specifying that prescribing medicines from outside without a valid reason will not be tolerated.
On being asked about shortage of doctors in the state, minister Rao said that the government is in process of recruiting new doctors and other health staff to overcome this challenge.
