An old man wheels his son out of PMCH. Telegraph picture

Patna, Feb. 3: Patients’ trauma ran into the fourth day as junior doctors of Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) and Nalanda Medical College and Hospital continued with their indefinite strike.

The poor people were the worst sufferers as they were left with no option but approach private hospitals where they were asked to cough up an exorbitant sum of money.

Manjulata Singh had admitted her husband to the emergency ward of PMCH appendicitis operation. But she had to shift him to a private hospital today.

“I took my husband to a private hospital four days ago after he complained of an acute stomach pain. The doctors diagnosed it was because of appendicitis at a very advanced stage and referred him to PMCH for operation. For three days, he remained lying on the hospital bed and suffered. The senior doctors refused to operate upon him stating that the surgery can be performed only after the strike ends,” she said.

Manjulata had to move her husband to a private nursing home in Mahendru locality on Thursday even if it meant spending Rs 20,000 for the surgery, which could have been done free of cost at PMCH.

“I am a very poor woman. My husband is a labourer and we survive on his daily wage. I do not have money even to feed my kids. I was left with no option but to borrow money from a relative to save my husband’s life,” she said.

Bishan Yadav, a resident of Sitamarhi, said a private nursing home was charging him Rs 40,000 for the treatment of his son who had suffered multiple injuries in his chest and stomach after being stabbed by robbers in their village. “I got my son admitted to PMCH but had little hope that he will survive as there was no doctor to attend to him. I am finally moving him to a private hospital at Kankerbagh where the doctors will charge Rs 40,000 for the surgery. I have asked my other son to look for a buyer of our plot in the village. I need the money immediately,” Bishan said.

People like Manjulata can be seen everywhere on the PMCH campus. They are shifting their loved ones to private clinics even if it means parting with their land.

Relatives of most patients at PMCH said they knew that they were being fleeced by the private hospitals but did not have an option.

Nagendra Chaudhary, an attendant of a patient at PMCH, said: “We all know PMCH is marred with issues like acute shortage of resources. But people just have to bear the cost of medicines here. But at private hospitals one has to pay through his nose for even mediocre services.”