Telangana: Poor Services Hit Rayalaseema Govt Hospital Patients
The situation is particularly alarming at the Kurnool Government General Hospital, considered the largest tertiary care centre in Rayalaseema: Reports
KURNOOL: Patients visiting government teaching hospitals across Rayalaseema are facing mounting hardships, with long waiting hours, a shortage of basic facilities and inadequate patient care becoming a daily ordeal. Already struggling due to lack of medicines, many patients are being forced to turn to private hospitals, and these issues are only adding to their burden.
In several instances, patients travelling over 100 kilometres for treatment are forced to wait for hours even to obtain an outpatient ticket. Uncertainty over availability of medicines is adding to their distress.
The situation is particularly alarming at the Kurnool Government General Hospital, considered the largest tertiary care centre in Rayalaseema. Patients who are unable to walk are reportedly waiting for hours to get a stretcher. In many cases, attendants are not available, forcing family members to manage on their own.
M. Lakshminarasamma, a patient from Kosigi mandal in Kurnool district, expressed her frustration. “It took us a long time to get a stretcher. My son is pushing it himself to take me to the ward. There is no support here,” she said.
Conditions in Kadapa and Nandyal government hospitals are said to be even worse. Dozens of patients are waiting for wheelchairs, but many are unavailable. Patients say getting a stretcher or wheelchair itself feels like a major relief.
Some patients alleged that during late night emergencies, especially road accident cases, timely medical care is not being provided. “At night, doctors are not easily available. We had to struggle a lot to get attention,” said a patient attendant.
General hospitals are known for specialised treatment in departments such as neurology, cardiology and gastroenterology. Patients with chronic illnesses travel from distances of up to 150 kilometres seeking treatment. However, due to heavy rush in outpatient departments, they are forced to wait two to three hours just for registration. If the concerned doctor is unavailable, the situation becomes worse.
M. Ramasubba Reddy from Neelapuram village in Kamalapuram mandal of Kadapa district narrated his experience. “We brought my relative with a brain stroke to Kurnool hospital at midnight. In the casualty ward, we saw two patients sharing one bed. We were frightened and took him back,” he said.
A majority of patients visiting these teaching hospitals are pregnant women suffering from anaemia and related complications. They are often required to wait an entire day for diagnostic tests. Lack of basic facilities and long waiting periods are making their situation more difficult.
Patients have also raised concerns over administrative failure. Many alleged that complaints to hospital authorities have not yielded results. In Nandyal, patients say doctors do not report on time, while in Kadapa RIMS, doctors are available but do not respond adequately.
A general medicine doctor from Kurnool GGH admitted that the patient load has increased significantly. “The number of patients is rising every day. Infrastructure needs to be expanded accordingly. We are providing treatment to the best of our capacity, but there are limitations,” he said. Sources indicate that similar conditions prevail in most government general hospitals across the region, highlighting the urgent need for strengthening healthcare infrastructure and administration.
Average monthly patient load in major government hospitals
