Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) and Hospital is again in the news for the wrong reasons and Minister for Medical Education Sharanprakash Patil found himself in an embarrassing situation on Saturday as the incident happened when he was inspecting the hospital.
Even as a woman carried her sick child to the pathology laboratory with her relatives carrying the oxygen cylinder for her, the Minister tried to dismiss it as a “small incident” and in fact, advised mediapersons to focus on positive things.
A native of Hooli village in Saundatti taluk of Belagavi district, Karevva Padesur had come to KIMS Hospital to get her daughter Gautami treated for fever and got her admitted in the children’s ward. According to Ms. Padesur, when doctors prescribed a few tests for her on Saturday, none of the hospital staff came forward to help her take the child who was on oxygen, to the pathology laboratory.
With none to help and no stretcher to shift her child and the oxygen cylinder, Ms. Padesur urged her two relatives to carry the cylinder as she took Gautami to the laboratory. Interestingly, a hospital staff accompanied her as the relatives carried the cylinder. The children’s ward is around 300 metres from the pathology laboratory.
When mediapersons, who were on KIMS campus to cover the visit of the Minister, brought it to his notice, he did not appear to take it seriously. “It is not a big thing, such things happen. Please concentrate on the good work done by KIMS,” he said. He, however, directed the hospital’s Chief Administrative Officer to ensure that such incidents did not recur.
Meanwhile, expressing anguish over the incident, Gautami’s grandfather Honappa Sarapannavar said at least the staff should have provided them with a stretcher.
