By the end of the second day, the newly-opened multi-superspecialty hospital at the Omandurar Government Estate, had received around 400 patients. But it will be awhile before the staff can settle into a routine.
On Thursday, two girls who fell from a scooter while negotiating a turn near Periyar Statue a few yards away were brought to the hospital for treatment in an autorickshaw. One of the girls had bleeding injuries while the other had suffered a cut on her forehead. The hospital staff however, put them in an ambulance and sent them to the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital. A little later a man came with an injured finger and was also told to go to the GH as the hospital did not have the facility to provide vaccines.
The hospital staff is yet to be provided with dedicated toilets and drinking water. While doctors have been provided with toilets in their consultation rooms, the other workers do not have the facility. The building has been provided with water tanks but they have to be cleaned before water can be stored for use.
According to the staff, in the last two days most of the patients who sought treatment were those with skin allergies, chest pains and the like. The outpatient clinic is open from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. The director of medical education C. Vamsadhara who was at the hospital said that as a referral centre, the hospital would focus on providing only specialised treatment. “The hospital is still in its infancy and will take time to shape this facility. The hospital will come under the directorate of medical education and is being developed along the lines of AIIMS with an emphasis on providing specific treatment only,” she said.
The building is also protected by several wireless-equipped security personnel, who say they have been guarding the structure ever since construction began.
