Lakshmi Devi at Patna Medical College and Hospital on Monday. Picture by Ashok Sinha
The state is in the grip of a severe cold wave but its premier hospital is oblivious to the sufferings of its patients admitted in the wards.
Septuagenarian Lakshmi Devi was forced to shiver the whole of Sunday in the Tata ward of Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) as the authorities did not provide her any quilt. Her son, Suresh Ram, is a ward boy in the hospital.
Lakshmi was admitted at PMCH on Sunday morning after she developed breathing problems. According to her grandson, Ajay Ram, Lakshmi could get relief only after he brought her a quilt in the night.
'My grandmother was not provided with any bed when she was admitted. So she was forced to sleep on the floor of the ward. I was very worried about her because it was chilly and the hospital administration did not provide with quilt. So I finally decided to bring quilt for my grandmother at night else she might have fallen more sick,' said Ajay (28).
Similar was the condition of 45-year-old Shakuntala Devi, a patient suffering from brain tumour and admitted in the Tata ward of PMCH. Not provided with any bed, Shakuntala was forced to sleep on the floor without any quilt or heater.
'The cold weather was unbearable and I had no option than to sleep on the floor. My daughter-in-law gave me a bedsheet and a shawl for comfort,' said Shakuntala, admitted to the hospital four days ago.
Shakuntala Devi lies on the floor of the Tata ward. Picture by Ashok Sinha
Bimla, mother of 12-year-old Shiv Shankar, admitted in the Hathua ward, said: 'I have seen no room heater in this ward since Friday when my son was admitted here. None of the wards has heater. The hospital should have given quilt and made arrangements for heaters for the patients. Even if some patient is not seriously sick, he/she would definitely fall ill once admitted here in the freezing cold,' said Bimla.
This correspondent found most of the patients relying on their own quilts.
Taking up a defensive stance, Dr Sudhanshu Singh, the deputy superintendent of the hospital, said the hospital had made all the necessary arrangements for the patients to shield themselves from cold weather.
'We have provided heater in every ward. We would repair the heaters, which have developed problems in some of the wards. We have provided quilts to all the patients who have got beds but as you know, patients are admitted in this hospital beyond its capacity. So, there might be patients who are found lying on the floor (because of shortage of cots) and not received quilts. For such patients also, we would buy quilts. We have already placed orders for extra quilts,' claimed Singh.
