GGH in dire need of ‘booster dose’

Fund crunch, dearth of manpower, poor sanitation affect the functioning. In the cardiology wing, there is an ECG but there is no technician to operate it. Similar the case of the neurology department, which is equipped with CT scan facilities, staff crunch has been a problem here too.

September 19, 2014 01:11 am | Updated 01:11 am IST - VIJAYAWADA:

The Government General Hospital in Vijayawada, among the biggest hospitals in the region, is plagued by a plethora of problems, with financial crunch and dearth of manpower topping the bill.

Not only the residents of the city, but also people from neighbouring districts also arrive at the 600-bed hospital for treatment. Everyday close to 2,000 outpatients from Krishna and neighbouring districts come here and hospital authorities are finding it difficult to cope up with the situation.

The hospital is equipped with neurology, cardiology and other important departments but there are not many technicians and support staff to offer better services, authorities say.

In the cardiology wing, there is an ECG but there is no technician to operate it. Similar the case of the neurology department, which is equipped with CT scan facilities, staff crunch has been a problem here too.

All the important wings like neurology, plastic surgery are managed by one senior surgeon each and there is no sufficient support staff, says Hospital Superintendent U. Surya Kumari.

In all, there are 96 vacancies, including doctors, technicians and other staff members in the hospital. Though a few services have been outsourced, contract staff members complain about delay in payment of salaries and lack of sufficient budget.

Government grant

The government sanctions nearly Rs.45 lakh for every quarter to the hospital as maintenance grant, but that has been restricted to only two quarters, resulting in poor sanitation and drainage facilities in the hospital.

The issue was brought to the notice of Health Minister Kamineni Srinivas on Wednesday by junior doctors and the Minister instructed the authorities to take up temporary repair works immediately involving a cost of Rs. 1 crore.

“We are waiting for the Centre government funds under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana. The GGH and the government hospital in Anantapur have been short-listed for funding under the scheme. A committee under the scheme has to inspect the hospitals and submit reports,” explains Ms. Kumari.

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