Patna, Feb. 24: Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) prepares for its first-ever global alumni meet in the state capital, while the report of the National Health System Resource Centre (NHSRC) on the infrastructure of the health hub may prove to be a dampener.
The technical support institution with the National Rural Health Mission has described the condition of the infrastructure to be “depressing” in a report on “Gap analysis and recommendation” NHSRC members presented the report at PMCH today.
“The central emergency wing has 100 beds, while 263 patients are admitted everyday. This means that hundreds of patients are lying on the floor. The equipment and medicines are often dysfunctional or unavailable. The overall condition leaves much to be desired. If this is the condition of the premier health hub of the state, one can well imagine the condition of other hospitals,” said Dr J.N. Sahay, a senior member of the team that had carried out the survey for an ISO certificate.
“The intensive care unit (ICU) has just 74 beds, while it should have been 200, according to the regulations that recommend that at least 10 to 15 per cent of the beds in a hospital should be for the ICU. One of the ECG machines has been dysfunctional for years. There are no checks on visitors,” said Sahay.
He also said: “The situation is no better in the neo-natal ICU, where two to three babies were on the same bed. The hospital lacks basic amenities.”
The senior doctor added that the facilities in the obstetrics and gynaecological wards were shocking, as no privacy was maintained even in the labour rooms. “There are no screens between the beds and outsiders keep peeping in from the open windows. The air conditioner does not work either,” said Sahay.
He added: “The level of illumination in the operation theatre is lower than the optimum level. In case of a power cut, a surgery may have to be stopped for eight to 10 minutes.”
Amarjeet Singh, the principal secretary of the health department, said: “As the government is spending a lot on the upkeep of hospitals, such conditions are a cause of concern.”
