MP spends less on 3 meals a day for patients at govt hospitals than for cows, jail inmates

Bhopal hospital meals for patients cost ₹33 daily, less than those for cows and inmates, raising concerns over quality and budget allocation.

Bhopal: At the Jai Prakash (JP) Hospital in Bhopal, patients are served a lunch comprising potato-cauliflower curry, watery green lentils, a half bowl of rice, four chapatis and two pieces of cucumber in a thali. This, along with two more meals, breakfast and dinner, collectively cost the government ₹33 a day.

Patients at Bhopal's JP Hospital receive daily meals costing the government ₹33, significantly less than those for cows and jail inmates.

Even if the quantity, quality and taste is not considered, what makes it appalling is the fact that the expenditure is less than ₹40 for a day’s meals provided to cows at the government shelters and ₹75 for the inmates lodged in state’s jails.

Officially, the state government provides a maximum of ₹48 for a patient’s meals in a day but some say that most hospitals are providing food at less than ₹40 a day.

According to the official diet chart of district hospitals, breakfast should include Dalia, poha, banana, upma, and 250 ml of milk. Lunch is supposed to have salad, four chapatis, green vegetables, lentils, and rice, while dinner includes chapatis, vegetables and lentils. Patients are also supposed to receive tea and biscuits in the evening.

“We are providing food at a cost of ₹33 per day which includes salaries of the staff,” said canteen in-charge at the JP Hospital, Mumtaz Begum.

A patient at the hospital said that they had no option but to eat the “bad” food showing the watery green dal in his plate adding that they have come to the hospital for medical treatment. Another patient, Vikram Kumar from Bhopal, said, “If I complain about food, I will not be treated. I eat what is given to me.”

However, women in maternity wards received two bananas and two ladoos in addition to the food, which costs the government ₹40 per day for a patient, under the National Health Mission. Pooja Suryavanshi, resident of Kalakheda village in Bhopal, who delivered a child a few days ago, said they received two laddoos and two bananas extra, adding that expectations from government hospital food were already low.

The bad quality of food in government-run hospitals in the state came into the spotlight on Friday when a few patients admitted at Madhav Nagar Government Hospital in Ujjain circulated videos of the poor quality of food being served to them. The videos showed watery dal with very few lentils, half-cooked chapatis and vegetable curry.

Following the videos, hospital in-charge Dr Vikram Raghuvanshi wrote to the health department against the poor quality of food and to take action in the matter.

According to officials, the budgetary provision of ₹48 for a day’s meal was introduced in 2014 and has not been revised since then. Officials said that the rate is much lesser than neighbouring states such as Rajasthan, which gives ₹70 per day, Chhattisgarh ₹150, Uttar Pradesh ₹116, and Odisha between ₹85 and ₹110.

A senior health officer, who is not authorised to talk to the media, said that tenders are floated with ₹48 as the upper limit. “As 250ml of milk costs ₹17-18, just ₹30 are left for the remaining portions,” he said.

Medical superintendent of Bundelkhand Medical College, Sagar, RS Jain admitted the problems they face because of the low meal budget. “Budget is definitely not sufficient but we have to provide food at this or lower rate,” he added. Dr Raghuvanshi said they try their best to provide good meals to patients. “It is a matter of health and good food is necessary for recovery of patients.”

Minister of state for health, Narendra Shivaji Patel, said, “We are improving health departments’ infrastructure and facilities continuously. Budget is a thing that needs continuous review. We will review the budgetary provision for meals being provided to patients.”