Gurugram Sector 10 civil hospital in poor state

Despite repeated attempts at raising complaints about these issues, doctors said authorities have failed to take concrete steps to address them

Doctors and staff at Gurugram Civil Hospital in Sector 10, which serves around 200 inpatients and nearly 3,000 outpatients every day, said they have to work in poor conditions – in terms of facilities, security as well as hygiene – that compromise the comfort of doctors, the safety of the staff, and the experience of patients.

The civil hospital located in Gurugram Sector 10 on Basai Road near Government College. People stand in queue for admit card in the hospital on Thursday. (Parveen Kumar/HT Photo)

Despite repeated attempts at raising complaints about these issues, doctors said authorities have failed to take concrete steps to address them.

The complaints gain particular significance as they come on the heels of nationwide protest by doctors following the horrific rape case at KG Kar Medical Hospital in Kolkata.

The biggest concern, particularly for the female doctors, are the lack of essential facilities. Without dedicated resting rooms, and clean facilities, doctors allege they are forced to rest on patient beds or in public areas like common waiting rooms.

“We sometimes work late into the night, usually from 8pm to 8am,” said Santosh Rajput, a BMS graduate and trainee doctor from Mahendergarh. “But we don’t rest because there’s no room for us to rest. We keep our heads down and take quick naps wherever we are working, be it the labour room or in the OPD.”

Another trainee doctor and a BMS graduate Saroj Chillar, from Charkhi Dadri, said: “It’s so difficult to not be able to take proper rest at night and then leave for our PGs alone. We live in Gurugram alone, and our families have sent us so far. The lack of basic facilities always creates this uncalled tension for us.”

“When it comes to washrooms, they are not hygienic at all. We sometimes use washrooms meant for senior doctors, which are comparatively better in state, but the common ones are in poor conditions,” said Chillar.

The security infrastructure and hygiene management of the hospital are other significant issues. Many areas, including washrooms, lack CCTV coverage, and there is a noticeable absence of security guards, leaving female staff vulnerable. The hospital’s poor maintenance has also raised complaints.

Patients at the hospital face their own set of challenges.

“Stray dogs frequently enter the wards, and there’s no one to keep them out,” said Meena Singh, a patient’s mother. “It’s frightening to stay here with no security… The lack of proper security and cleanliness makes staying till late hours with our family very difficult,” she added.

One attendant, seeking treatment for her sister’s eczema, complained about waiting for long hours. “We waited for hours, but despite the queues, we never got to meet the dermatologist. My sister’s condition needs immediate attention, but we were just left hanging,” said Malti Devi, who had arrived at the hospital from Nuh.

According to officials, the hospital currently has only one dermatologist. Apart from that it has around 100 doctors and 170 staff nurses.

Dr Ramesh Rathi, deputy medical superintendent, said: “We want to ensure that we are committed to improving the situation of the hospital. We have deployed around five more security staff to ensure safety and decorum of the hospital. Additionally, we have 77 CCTV cameras for vigilance in the hospital, however, we haven’t install them near washrooms due to privacy concerns.”