KURNOOL: Kurnool Government General Hospital, one of the oldest teaching hospitals in the state, draws nearly 3,000 outpatients daily, from all over Rayalaseema, Prakasam and Mahabub Nagar districts and even from the state of Karnataka. However, not all is well with the institution. 36 Units with 1,050 bed strength and around 300 doctors are doing duties at various levels.
Principal of Kurnool Medical College Prof. G. Ram Prasad took over charge as the Hospital Superintendent on Friday. He had his task cut out as truant doctors, private practice, lack of facilities in gynaecology, pediatrics, burns ward, gastroenterology, Trauma departments threw challenges in the smooth functioning. The Hospital do not have a full fledged psychologist.
Kurnool MP Sanjeev Kumar, who himself is a doctor, is well aware of the problems at the hospital and was urged by the people to liberally donate from MP funds to develop the hospital to serve maximum number of patients, said Kurnool MLA Hafeez Khan.
One of the basic problems confronted by the hospital is the menace of RMP doctors, who come from villages along with patients and drive them to private corporate hospitals for a hefty compensation they offer, said Dr Vekata Subbaiah.
The Hospital has super specialty faculties in cardiology, cardiothoracic, gynaecology, pediatrics, including neo-natal services.
An Ultramodern Cancer Institute will come up with a cost of Rs 35 crore. But the main problem is the availability of doctors in the hospital during the office hours.
Many of them are on call from private corporate hospitals that have cropped up in and around the Kurnool Government General Hospital.
Some of the doctors and staff sign the office attendance register and then go away.
Doubts are being expressed on why the higher officials concerned are not taking any action against these tainted doctors though there were several complaints against them. Patients are angry with the way the doctors are working.
Normally, the outpatient (OP) time is from morning 9 am to 12 noon.
Some of the duty doctors have no place to sit in their seats in the OP rooms. Some of them spend their time with medical representatives and some of them go to their own clinics instead of regular duties. The outpatients, who come from far away places for treatments, face trouble with the doctors’ attitude.
An outpatients lamented: “I am coming from Yammiganur town and I returned without consulting the doctors in the OP room because the time was over and the doctor passed the time with medical representatives instead of examining the patient.”
