May 13: The state government has asked the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) to explain why specialists and senior doctors refuse to visit patients in the new paying cabins.

Sources said the government asked for the explanation after it took notice of a report that appeared in The Telegraph on April 25. The report highlighted how refusal by senior doctors and specialists to visit the paying cabins is creating inconvenience to the patients.

Doctors prefer not to visit these paying cabins citing inconvenience to move from these cabins to the general wards of the main hospital building.

A skyway connects these paying cabins with the main and old building of the hospital. The non-availability of specialists round the clock discourages a patient from getting admitted to a paying cabin.

These paying cabins are equipped with various facilities and offer a comfortable stay for the patients.

The GMCH charges Rs 800 to Rs 1,000 as room rent everyday for the new paying cabins.

At present, there are 100 new paying cabins in the hospital. The hospital has also outsourced a private organisation for the maintenance of hygiene and cleanliness in the building housing these cabins.

While principal-cum-chief superintendent of the GMCH, Kabul Chandra Saikia, has admitted receiving a noticefrom the state government, he did not divulge about the contents.

Doctors at the GMCH claimed that they do visit the paying cabins as and when required.

“Yes, it is true that we have received a query from the state governing, questioning as to why doctors do not visit the paying cabins. But senior doctors and specialists of all major departments visit the paying cabins. While junior doctors are usually on duty round the clock in these cabins, when any medical emergency occurs or if a patient’s condition deteriorates, senior doctors on call are immediately informed and they come promptly to treat the patient,” said a doctor of the hospital who refused to be named.

“But we do not usually prefer admitting patients with heart or gynaecological problems to the paying cabins. This is not because of the distance; rather it is because during an emergency like a cardiac arrest or a delivery it is easy to transfer a patient to the OT if the cabins are situated close to it. Since these paying cabins are situated at a distance from the OTs in the main building, it takes about half- an-hour to shift a patient from there to the main building. A heart attack or a delivery can occur at any time. We cannot afford to lose valuable time as the patient may lose his life,” the doctor said.