Siliguri, Aug. 5: The Patient Welfare Committee of the Siliguri District Hospital today discussed issues ranging from interference of outsiders and improving services and staff behaviour to requisitioning of cots with railings.

Committee chairperson and Siliguri Mahakuma Parishad sabhadhipati Moni Thapa said at the meeting that certain organisations and groups of people had created commotion in some recent incidents, impeding work at the hospital.

“We seek the cooperation from the people in adhering to hospital rules, like maintaining the visiting hours and following the proper procedure for lodging complaints,” Thapa said. “There has been some negligence in rendering services and we have told the nursing superintendent and other employees to improve their behaviour with patients and their relatives.”

The meeting also took up measures to improve better communication with the public who avail of the hospital’s facilities. “During a surprise visit to the hospital recently, we found that the patients were bringing food from home, although meals are provided for the first three days after admission. The patients said they did not know of this provision,” Thapa said.

The hospital authorities were asked to put up boards in prominent places giving all relevant information to the public. An upgraded enquiry counter should also be set up where patients’ relatives would get all kinds of information relating to treatment. A public address system would be installed to call the patients’ relatives or a doctor when the need arose.

The meeting was attended by the chief medical officer of health of Darjeeling district, Subir Bhowmik. He stressed on maintaining peace and order at the hospital. “In case of any complaint, the superintendent must be informed so that it can be taken up at the welfare committee meeting. Improvements, unless of an urgent nature, cannot happen overnight,” the official said.

Referring to the protests by a welfare organisation a few days ago over why a doctor at the hospital prescribed medicine by its brand name instead of the generic name, Bhowmik said the doctor did the right thing as the patient, who was admitted with severe burns, required a high quality of antibiotic to prevent septic shock.

“That is why an antibiotic with a particular brand name was prescribed. It may be costly, but a BPL patient can claim up to Rs 2,000 from the government for such costs.”

Bhowmik said the committee had been asked to procure cots with railings for patients who were unstable in their sleep. He was responding to a recent incident where an elderly patient fell from his bed and hurt his head.

The meeting also reviewed the progress of the construction of the critical care and the specialised neo-natal care units. “These should be ready by the end of this month,” Bhowmik said.