Patients suffer as maternity hospital moved to HQ hospital premises
Patients sit under the shade of a tree in front of the Maternity Hospital in Nellore on Friday. (Photo: DC)
Nellore: Shifting of strategically located Maternity hospital and Children’s hospital in the city to the Dodla Subba Reddy Headquarters hospital has been causing innumerable problems to the locals and those coming from various parts of the district. The two hospitals, which were under AP Vaidya Vidana Parishat (APVVP), taken over by the new government medical college to fulfil the mandatory 750 beds norm of Medical Council of India.
The college authorities justifying the shifting pointing to the medical college located in the same premises. The Maternity Hospital, popularly known as Jubilee Hospital, located close to Madras Bus Stand and Nellore South Railway Station while the Children’s Hospital also known as Rebala Children’s Hospital was in the close proximity to Atmakur Bus Stand and Nellore railway station.
Apart from locals, the hospitals were easily accessible to people coming from different parts of the district and surrounding villages. Incidentally both the hospitals, established about four decades back, have been shifted to the building constructed and exclusive Children's Hospital in the headquarters hospital. Former MP Dr Chinta Mohan, who was instrumental in mobilising funds for the exclusive hospital from the Centre five years back, rebuked the government for clubbing maternity hospital with pediatrics.
Recalling the ordeals his family faced to get treatment to him when he was bitten by a scorpion during his childhood in Nellore, he said that the incident had a strong influence on him and that led him to secure funds for the hospital to provide world class treatment to kids. He has also underlined the need to keep status quo with respect to old hospitals while pointing to growing number of patients and need to improve the services. A senior medical officer in the headquarters hospital also questioned the rationale behind shifting the hospitals to headquarters while pointing to area hospitals functioning despite presence of government medical colleges in various places including Hyderabad.
Incidentally the headquarters hospital is hit by shortage of medical and paramedical staff after it was taken over by the Government Medical College. Without giving any thought to impact on medical services, all APVVP staff including medical and paramedical staff posted to other hospitals under APVVP before handing over the hospital to medical college.
There are hardly any doctors for emergency medicine or radiology wings and shortage is to the extent of 300 with respect to nursing staff. Meanwhile a resident of Stonehousepeta M.Sridevi alleged that the services are poor in the new children's hospital.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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