Due to the all-India bandh called by the Opposition parties, most government hospitals in the city reported a slow trickle of patients as the public transport vehicles in the city stayed off the roads.
Most patients that The Hindu at K.C. General Hospital spoke to stated that they had to wait for long hours as the doctors started coming to the hospital only in the afternoon.
Walks all the way
Shobha R., a patient at the K.C. General Hospital, said due to lack of transport facilities, she walked all the way to the hospital to get a scan done. She said, “I have been waiting at the hospital for over three hours just to get a scan done.”
Sarvanna M., whose wife was in need of blood, said that the since the blood bank officials were not present, he had to spend hours trying to get blood. He added, “But everything was sorted out later as many doctors and hospital staff reported to work by afternoon.”
However, R.L. Chandraprabha, Medical Superintendent, told The Hindu , “All our doctors are present in full strength. But twenty per cent of our paramedical and nursing staff did not come to work on Thursday as they were on leave.”
Notice
Gurushankar, Medical Superintendent of Victoria Hospital, said that a notice was issued to the doctors and hospital staff to report to work in spite of the bandh. The hospital said, “Normally, we get around 1,000 out-patients. But today because of the bandh, there were only around 250 out-patients.”