The Telegraph team visited Patna's Loknayak Jayaprakash Narayan Hospital, Rajendra Nagar Hospital and New Gardiner Road Hospital on Tuesday to find out the state of affairs in the three super-speciality health facilities. The findings are an eye-opener for the residents and the state government which claims to provide quality healthcare services to the people. The outpatient department (OPD) is supposed to function from 9am to 2pm daily with four or five doctors dedicated to the facility in each of these hospitals. But be prepared to wait in long queues for the doctor as he/she might come around one to two hours late. If that does not drain you out, here is more. You might be asked to purchase the medicines from private stores. Why? Because the hospitals' drug shops don't have adequate stocks. If you think about getting your diagnostic tests done at the same facility thinking that you won't have to pay anything because of the free service, brace for a bigger shock. Hospital staff may hand you over a slip of some private diagnostic facility from where you have to get the tests done, at a cost. Doing so is illegal by the hospital staff. Here are some of the key findings:

Loknayak Jayaprakash Narayan Hospital
Super-speciality tag for: Orthopaedic disorders

Doctor availability in the outpatient department: A neuro-surgeon and an orthopaedic surgeon were not found in the chamber. While the former did not turn up till 9.50am, the ortho surgeon had not come till 10.30am on Tuesday. Hospital director H.N. Diwakar conceded that doctors engaged in OPD duty are often late but promised action.

Medicine availability: Drugs for osteoarthritis and muscle spasm were found missing in the hospital store. Hospital director H.N. Diwakar admits that only six to seven types of drugs are available at the hospital, including painkillers.

According to him, the Bihar Medical Services and Infrastructure Corporation Limited (BMSICL) had provided the drugs last year. The hospital is somehow managing drug requirement for emergency patients as the director has been entitled to purchase medicines worth around Rs 5 lakh. The Telegraph also found doctors prescribing medicines with brand names such as Movace SP (a painkiller) though the drugs with the generic name aceclofenac was found at the hospital.

Neelam Devi of Sitamarhi, a patient admitted in the hospital's indoor wing, said they had to buy the crepe bandage from outside.

Diagnostic facilities: If you come with broken legs, doctors would advise you to get MRI and CT scan tests done from outside. MRI and CT scan machines are not available at this super-speciality hospital for orthopaedic disorders. You would have to pay for X-ray facility as the Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (IGIMS), which was providing the facility for free here, has stopped it because of funds-related issues. So patients are dependent on the X-ray facility being run in PPP mode at the hospital for which they have to pay.

Other lapses: The Telegraph team found one patient, Navin Kumar from Raja Bazar locality, who was handed over a slip of a private diagnostic facility to get his tests done from outside. Two medical representatives were also spotted in the hospital during outpatient department hours. As per the government's direction, medical representatives are not allowed to visit doctors during OPD hours. Many patients were found running from pillar to post to get their disability certificate made at the hospital as the official supposed to provide them the document was found absent till 10.30am.

Ambulance facility: The hospital has no ambulance though it has a driver who takes home a salary and works for health department officials.

 

New Gardiner Road Hospital
Super-speciality tag for: Endocrinology disorders

Doctor availability: One of the doctors was found absent in the outpatient department chamber till 10.56am on Tuesday. Patients said doctors coming in late is a regular occurrence. Hospital medical superintendent Manoj Kumar said he was "surprised" that doctors were missing from their chambers during OPD hour.

Medicine availability: It's a super-speciality hospital for endocrinology-related disorders, right? Sadly the hospital does not have sugar-related medicines or even insulin injections. Basic iron and related tablets are unavailable.

Diagnostic facility: Ultrasound tests are not being conducted for the past one month. Patients are also advised to get thyroid tests done from outside. The hospital does not have CT scan and MRI facilities. Medical superintendent Manoj Kumar said the new radiologist was supposed to join work six days ago but had not yet done so.

Other lapses: Not found

Ambulance: No facility

 

Rajendra Nagar Hospital
Super-speciality tag for: Eye-related disorders

Doctor availability: Of the three hospitals The Telegraph team visited, only in this were doctors not found absent in their chambers during OPD hours.

Medicine availability: Not a single eye-related medicine is available for patients in the outpatient department, confirmed hospital superintendent Naresh Kumar Bhimsariya.

Diagnostic facility: The super-speciality hospital for eye-related disorders does not have cornea, complete blood count, HIV and hepatitis test facilities.

Other lapses: The hospital has still not started an eye bank, forget about corneal transplant facility. The idea of starting an eye bank at Rajendra Nagar Hospital was conceived in 2013 but the facilities remain a non-starter. The Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (IGIMS) started an eye bank and corneal transplant facility in 2014.

Ambulance: Like the two other super-speciality hospitals, this too does not have an ambulance facility.