Shortage Of Doctors, Medicines Affects Bolaram Cantonment Hospital
“People come here because this is supposed to be a general hospital. But there are days when even basic care is delayed”: Staff member
HYDERABAD: Patients arriving at the Bolaram Cantonment General Hospital are often forced to wait, travel elsewhere, or pay out of pocket for basic treatment, as shortages of doctors, medicines, equipment and staff continue to disrupt services at the decades-old facility.
Despite being a 24x7 general hospital with 75 beds and 10 intensive care unit beds, the hospital is operating with four doctors, including a resident medical officer, far below the minimum required to run round-the-clock services. Doctors and staff said at least 10 full-time doctors were needed for regular functioning. There is no general medicine specialist, while the gynaecologist is available only until the afternoon.
The hospital sees around 300 to 400 outpatients every day, many of them from low-income families living in and around the cantonment area. “People come here because this is supposed to be a general hospital. But there are days when even basic care is delayed,” a staff member said.
Short-staffing has worsened after doctors and nurses hired through a private agency stopped receiving salaries. Two doctors appointed on contract have already left, while nurses and housekeeping staff frequently remain absent. “We have not been paid for the last 4 months. How long can anyone work like this,” a nurse said.
Facilities inside the hospital remain severely limited. The X-ray machine has not been functional for around 4 months. There is no ultrasound or scanning facility, no pathology laboratory, and no equipment for endoscopy or echocardiography. In emergencies requiring scans or imaging, patients are forced to visit private hospitals.
The pharmacy stocks only a few basic medicines such as paracetamol, cough syrups and limited tablets. “For most medicines, patients have to buy them outside by spending thousands of rupees,” a patient attendant said. Many poor patients eventually travel to Gandhi Hospital due to the lack of services here.
Doctors and staff said repeated requests to the Cantonment Board for funds to improve infrastructure and procure medicines have not yielded results. “We are told there is a shortage of funds and that the budget cannot be released,” the staff member said.
Locals said several public representatives, including Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy when he was the member of Parliament from Malkajgiri, Union minister G Kishan Reddy, MPs Dr K. Laxman and Etala Rajendar, who now represents Malkajgiri, and Cantonment MLA Sriganesh Narayanan, had visited the hospital in the past and promised super-speciality services. “Those promises have remained on paper,” said Poorna N., who lives in the neighbourhood.
While two ambulances were earlier donated with the help of former Cantonment Board vice-chairpersons, staff said these are not consistently available during emergencies.
Residents have urged the authorities to immediately fill vacancies, clear pending salaries and restore basic facilities. “This hospital serves the poorest. Without doctors, medicines and equipment, it cannot function as a general hospital,” Poorna added.
