Raghunath Prasad (73), a patient at the Rajendra Surgical Wing of Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH), on Friday claimed he had not been served lunch or dinner even once in the eight days he has been admitted there.

"I only received breakfast of an apple, a banana, an egg and milk. Sometimes there was no milk," Raghunath said.

Noorul Hoda, husband of Ahmida Khatun, a patient admitted at PMCH's Tata ward, said his wife, too, was being served only breakfast. "The nurse never asked if she was required to be given lunch or dinner," Huda rued. "This might be another scam." He pointed at other patients in the ward and said he had never seen them receiving lunch or dinner either.

Most patients and their attendants at PMCH claimed on Friday that the hospital had failed to maintain the free meal service meant for patients.

Shailesh Kumar, nephew of Bhura Ram, another patient admitted to the Rajendra Surgical wing, however, said his uncle was getting three meals a day.

PMCH patients are entitled to a breakfast, lunch and dinner. Earlier, the health department was providing Rs 50 per patient for the three meals. Around a fortnight ago, this amount was raised to Rs 100.

Sources said that according to the earlier diet chart, patients were supposed to get food containing 2,400 calories a day. The revised diet chart says they should get 3,500 calories a day.

For children, the calorie requirement was revised from 2,000 to 2,775 calories.

Asked about the hospital's failure to provide meals to every patient, hospital superintendent Lakhendra Prasad said he was helpless. "There are 1,675 beds in the hospital, but on most days there are close to around 2,000 patients in various wards," Prasad said.

"So food for 1,675 patients is distributed among all the patients."

He admitted that as per norm, patients in all wards, except emergency and intensive care units, were supposed to get free meals at the hospital.

A senior doctor of the medicine department, who did not wish to be named, said one of the reasons behind providing free food to the patients was to meet their nutritional requirements, necessary to ensure their speedy recovery. "The hospital administration has to ensure that each and every patient is given food as per hospital guidelines," said the doctor. "If the hospital lacks funds for it, it should ask for extra funds from the health department."