Something is rotten in the state of GTB Hospital

Catering to a large population from East Delhi and neighbouring States, over-crowding, mismanagement and shortage of staff have added to the sufferings of patients at Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital.

August 30, 2014 09:19 am | Updated 09:19 am IST - NEW DELHI:

Established in 1979, Guru Teg Bahadur (GTB) Hospital, the first tertiary care hospital in the trans-Yamuna (East Delhi) area, caters to a large population from East Delhi as well as neighbouring States. Over the years the hospital has become an epitome of a shambolic healthcare centre.

Despite a new building adjacent to the old one, mismanagement and lax attitude on the part of the GTB Hospital authorities have prevented resolution of a host of problems. Though some parts of the new building are being used, it has not done much to ease the sufferings of patients.

Non-functional wards

In the maternity care ward for instance, two to three patients are forced to share a single bed. This co-sharing is because a large portion of the building still remains non-functional.

Sources at the hospital said lack of infrastructure is affecting operations in the new building. “Many important wards, including the surgery wards, have not been set up properly in the new building. We also need additional staff to attend to patients there,” a source added.

Over-crowding is evident in almost all areas of the hospital — from the Out Patient Department (OPD) to maternity and medical wards.

The OPD is the worst affected due to patient congestion. Despite 17 terminals for registration, patients are forced to wait for long hours. The OPD starts from 8 a.m. and goes on till 1 p.m., but a number of patients miss out on registration altogether.

Inside the main hospital too, two to three patients are forced to share a single bed.

“Only those with serious infections are kept isolated. Otherwise two to three patients have to share a bed. The situation gets worse during the outbreak of seasonal diseases like dengue. The situation is slightly better because fewer dengue cases have been reported this year,” said a nurse.

Shortage of hospital attendants

Acute shortage in the number of hospital attendants force family members to accompany the patient into the hospital, adding to the already-burdened infrastructure. It is common to see a patient accompanied by two to three family members.

These family members are, in fact, seen doing most jobs that the hospital staff ought to be doing — from carrying the patient to the ward to cleaning the room where they have been admitted.

A 30-year-old man said: “My father was admitted here after he had a heart attack. There was no one to help us take him to the doctor the day we brought him here. My brother and I had to find a stretcher and take him to the doctor ourselves.”

Inside the paediatrics oncology ward, family members are seen cleaning the wards. A 40-year-old man from Shalimar Garden, whose son is admitted there, said: “My son has been admitted here for the last five months and I stay here with him most of the time. Other parents and I clean the ward ourselves. The hospital staff only clean the corridors. Even if they step inside to clean up, they use a dirty mop. So we prefer doing it ourselves.”

“If we ask for help from the attendants, they demand a bribe. The bribe amount depends on the kind of work that needs to be done,” he added.

Pharmacy closes early

There is no relief for patients or their family when it comes to the hospital pharmacy either. Supposed to stay open round-the-clock, it shuts by 2 p.m. After that, only one window remains open till 8 p.m. at the OPD registration counter. And it is simply not enough to cater to the hundreds of patients.

A hospital source added: “The pharmacy needs to be closed early because there aren’t enough pharmacists in the hospital. Almost all of them have to do administrative jobs after their shift at the pharmacy.”

The queues at the sample collection centres are serpentine as well. On an average, a patient has to wait for one to two hours to give blood and urine samples for testing.

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