KURNOOL: Covid-19 patients undergoing treatment at Kurnool Government General Hospital (KGGH) have complained of insufficient medicare, saying duty doctors are not coming to their wards and food supplied to them is of inferior quality.
"We are being treated as though we are untouchables," complained one of the patients. An attendant of a patient said food of substandard quality is being served to patients. Lentil soup given to them is watery, he said. The government is paying Rs. 290 per patient to the contractor who supplies food.
Another patient said toilets in the male ward are not being maintained properly. All these aspects are playing on the minds of patients in KGGH. The situation is very discouraging, the patient stated.
The number of Coronavirus cases in Kurnool district has risen sharply in the past two days, crossing the 1,000 mark. On Friday, 1,180 positive cases have been reported in Kurnool district, apart from four deaths.
Testing of nasal swabs at the VRDL Lab in Microbiology Department is too slow. It is taking a long time to know the result of a test report. This aspect emerged when district collector G. Veera Pandian made a surprise visit to VRDL lab to know firsthand why test results are being delayed.
Hospital superintendent Dr. Bhagawan conceded that with sharp increase in caseload, medical facilities at the Kurnool Government General Hospital are under strain. “However, we are ramping up services. We are making arrangements to add another 150 beds,” he underlined. KGGH has total bed strength of 1,200.
As of Friday, the hospital has 363 positive cases, 163 suspect cases and 22 patients on CPAP ventilators, the superintendent disclosed.
