Detrimental condition of Government Hospitals in Delhi

It’s not hard to find people caught in the gap between India’s dreams of greatness and the awful reality of its broken health system. Sixty-nine years after independence, India still remains one of the unhealthiest countries of the world.

Government hospitals, set up with the intention of providing healthcare to one and all mainly focusing upon the poor sections of the society have proved to be a bane in some ways. With a rapid increase in the population and shortage of healthcare, private hospitals have been playing a major role. Even though there are many government hospitals providing health care for all, still the services rendered by them are inadequate for a common person. On one hand, these institutions facilitate the patients with free medicines but on the other hand lack behind in cleanliness and many other basic amenities.

Overcrowded wards, unhygienic surroundings and non- functioning pieces of equipment have become very usual in the Government hospitals in the capital city. Negligence of the maintenance of hospitals in Delhi has led to their grim state. The hospitals lack basic infrastructure. The unhealthy conditions in the hospitals have proved to be fatal for many patients.

Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital, one of the prominent Government hospitals has the same scenario.  The hospital lacks basic infrastructure, proper management, dedicated staff and many other things. Though the hospital supplies free medicines, there seems to be no interest among the hospital staff to store it in a proper manner. The overcrowded Ambedkar Hospital results in the shortage of beds and ventilators. Open dustbins, litter, junk, medical disposal items and even human waste can be seen at every corner of the hospital, which has become the spot for the flies and mosquitoes to breed and thus giving rise to viral infections.

At the gynecology department, two to three pregnant women were seen sharing one bed. Moreover, the patients complained that hospital staff, doctors, and the on-duty guards were inhumane to them.

A woman who delivered a child last month is still in the hospital waiting for her discharge despite her being healthy enough to move out. She is just being shifted from one ward to another without being concerned about the reason of her shifting. She also told that the ultrasound reports are delivered here in 2-3 months approximately.

The patients and their family members are the ones who are responsible for this unclean environment of the hospital. They don’t even know that this unhygienic environment is ultimately going to affect their health.

However, patients were completely satisfied by the free medicine scheme and the way doctors were consulting the patients. When visited the OPD, Vikas Kumar, a resident of Sharma Colony, said, “I appreciate the medical facilities and free medicine scheme provided in the hospital. But the basic problem here is the cleanliness issue and unhygienic condition. Hospital authorities should take action on this.”

There is a great need for the Government to improve the healthcare facilities of the Government hospitals in each and every aspect.  The basic aim must not only be the supply of free medicines but also the other basic amenities and infrastructure for all round development of the healthcare system in Delhi.