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Bolarum general hospital shunned by patients
Cantonment General Hospital, Bolarum, is seeing a gradual fall in the number of patients, who are avoiding it as there has been an acute shortage of specialist doctors and paramedical staff for the past five years.
Secunderabad: Cantonment General Hospital, Bolarum, is seeing a gradual fall in the number of patients, who are avoiding it as there has been an acute shortage of specialist doctors and paramedical staff for the past five years.
The patients are preferring to visit nearby private hospitals or other government hospitals far-away for treatment. Lack of doctors in major departments like ophthalmology, gynecology, and orthopedic wings is putting them off.
The hospital was established in June 2015, with a 30-bed strength. A British era dispensary had existed in its place earlier. The hospital has good infrastructure, nice open surroundings, but it functions only till 2 pm like a dispensary as it does not have the capability to run 24 hours. The hospital is equipped with children ward, ophthalmology, radiology, gynecology, physiotherapy, and dental room, examination preparation room. All these do not function due to staff crunch.
The hospital has scope to attend to around 300 outpatients. With shrinking of the number of specialists, the number of visitors has slowly fallen to around 30-40 every day, it is learnt.
At present there are two permanent doctors including the medical superintendent and as it requires more than eight doctors. Apart from this, there are only 2 nurses as against the required strength of 11 and two sanitary workers for maintaining cleanliness in the hospital. Also, there is no laboratory facility at the hospital.
"Health Minister Eatala Rajender in 2019 and two years back the then Health Minister C Laxma Reddy visited the hospital and assured that very maternity service and emergency ward would open and that the government would deploy doctors and paramedical staff but nothing has happened till today. Also till today, we have not received any communications about any changes from the state government," said Dr Manju Rani, the Superintendent of Cantonment General Hospital.
"Though, ultrasonogram machine was sanctioned last year, we have not received it yet and several letters were mailed to the district medical and health officer (DMHO) about this issue but no response yet.
"The main reason Cantonment Board cannot run this hospital is due to fund crunch and so we have proposed to the state government to club the Cantonment Hospital with the urban primary health center (UPHC) so that it can also be a 24-hour service. Many times we approached the state government for help, but there is not response from them yet," deplored J Lokanadham, the elected representative of SCB ward-8 where the hospital is located.
"I have been visiting the hospital for long and the situation is the same whenever I fall sick. Each time I come here hoping for treatment, but had to go to private hospitals," said Raju, a local.
