Hyderabad: Bed crunch plagues Niloufer Hospital

Hyderabad: Despite several claims by the Director of Medical Education (DME) that Niloufer Hospital ramped up its bed strength, patients at the hospital continue to face severe bed crunch.

Patients are facing hardship to get the bed on time and are forced to wait for 2 to 4 hours. The hospital management is helpless and not able to arrange the beds as the seasonal ailments are on peak.

The Director of Medical Education (DME) repeatedly said that the number of beds in Niloufer has been increased to 1,500 but the statements are quite in contrast with the reality.

The bed shortage forced patients to wait outside the wards for treatment. Patients are also complaining that two patients are forced to share one bed due to scarcity. It is quite risky and unsafe to share beds during pandemics and it is a violation of Covid norms.

The in-patient and outpatient footfall have been increased at Niloufer this season as it is the only paediatric hospital for the poor in the State for all kinds of treatment. More than 100 admissions are recorded daily in the hospital.

Attendants of the patients are expressing their anger over hospital management for providing treatment to the patients coming from other States. An attendant of the patient who did not get the bed alleged that people from Telangana are not getting beds as the patients from other States like Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra are coming here for treatment.

Denying the allegation the management said that this is a public hospital and each patient is important for us we cannot deny treatment for patients coming from other State. It is our duty to treat them.

Speaking to Hans India an attendant of the patient at Niloufer, on a request not to disclose his name, said, "I have admitted my daughter here five days ago.

She was taken into emergency unit but it was shocking to see that it took two hours to consult the doctor as more than half a dozen patients were in the queue, waiting for their turn. After being relieved from emergency it took 14 hours to get the bed as I have reached here at night.''

Further, he added that it is pathetic to see that two children have allocated one bed due to a shortage of beds and the old patients were being shifted to the general ward to make a way for new patients. It is a high risk for the patients but they are forced to do that.

Superintendent Niloufer Hospital Dr Murali Krishna informed that "it is an unusual situation as the number of patients has been doubled due to seasonal ailments.

More than 800 in-patients are under treatment at Niloufer right now. Looking at the increasing numbers we have also opened the wards dedicated for Covid patients."