A roof over their heads at NIMS

Attendants for poor patients now have a shelter with all basic amenities needed to stay for a day or two at the State-run hospital

Attendants of poor patients, who struggle to find a roof for overnight stay at the Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS), can now heave a sigh of relief. They now have a shelter with all basic amenities needed to stay for a day or two – till the patients are treated and discharged from NIMS. The hi-tech shelter was thrown open by Health Secretary L.V. Subramanyam here on Wednesday.

Improved facility

Over the last six months, NIMS has witnessed several additions in infrastructure aimed at improving patient facilities. The hospital now has a brand new laundry facility with state-of-the-art equipment, including ironing machines and steam boilers to supply clean hospital linen. Everyday, NIMS requires roughly 2,200 clean and ironed bed sheets while old laundry machines have a capacity of only 800 per day.

CSR initiatives

The new machines now can produce 2,800 clean and ironed hospital linen everyday, thanks to the NATCO Trust that has donated close to Rs.30 lakh for the acquisition of the machines.

“These measures may look small but they are significant for NIMS patients. We are raising funds from private institutions willing to spend under CSR activities,” NIMS Director L. Narendranath said after the shelter’s inauguration.

The hospital took the GHMC’s help to construct separate walkways for patients, attendants and general visitors while Andhra Bank chipped in with funds for landscaping works. NATCO Pharma’s vice-chairman and managing director V.C. Nannapaneni, who donated funds for shelter and laundry machines, has assured similar support in the future.

Recruitments on hold

Recently, the hospital authorities had functionalised two operation theatres in the new trauma block. To run more operation theatres, NIMS needs anaesthetists to complement the surgeons. At present, to be able to fully start additional operation theatres, the institute needs to recruit anywhere between eight and 10 anaesthetists.

Exclusive bio-chemistry and pathology laboratories in the trauma centre here have helped bring down the time of investigations from the usual 3-4 hours to just 30 minutes.

“We are ready to open more operation theatres but could not recruit health care workers due to the State bifurcation and the model code of conduct. We are waiting for the new government to be sworn in to take up recruitment,” he said.