A year after opening, Pataudi government hospital lacks basic facilities
According to hospital staff, the 50-bed hospital that started in April last year, opened by chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar, doesn’t have an X-ray facility or a radiographer.
Even a year after the Civil Hospital in Pataudi was inaugurated, it lacks basic facilities and medical specialists.
According to hospital staff, the 50-bed hospital that started in April last year, opened by chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar, doesn’t have an X-ray facility or a radiographer. Only four of 10 medical officer posts are currently filled. The hospital doesn’t have a single gynaecologist despite two to three deliveries that take place on an average every day in the hospital, staff members said.
Dr Dinesh Rohilla, resident medical officer, Civil Hospital, Pataudi, said that due to the non-availability of specialists, the four medical officers manage operations and conduct deliveries on their own. “The health department has advertised for the vacant posts several times in the past, but they haven’t been filled yet, which is why most patients are attended to by the four officers,” Rohilla said, adding that cases that require special treatment are referred to the Civil Hospital at Civil Lines in the city, which is the district’s largest government hospital.
The hospital, spread over an area of around two acres, also faces a space crunch. According to a staff member who wished to remain anonymous, due to a lack of space on the ground floor, the dental out-patient department (OPD) operates out of the second floor, thus inconveniencing patients. “Most patients, even senior citizens, have to climb the stairs because there is no elevator,” he said. The dental OPD sees about 30 patients daily, while the regular OPD at the ground floor attends to more than 300 patients.
The hospital also doesn’t have a ventilator, officials said.
According to a response to an RTI application on April 2 seeking information about medical equipment, the district health department said there are no ventilators in any of the district’s three government hospitals, and patients have to be referred to private hospitals.
Dr BK Rajora, civil surgeon, wasn’t available for a comment on Saturday. However, Dr Rohilla confirmed the non-availability of an X-ray machine and a ventilator at the hospital.