BHUBANESWAR: An Orissa High Court (HC)-appointed committee on patient care, which visited the Capital Hospital here on Saturday, found it in complete disarray. The committee found the state-of-the-art catheterisation laboratory (cath lab), unveiled in July, under lock. No patient was undergoing treatment at the cath lab although the hospital has three cardiologists. When the panel wanted to check the register, it did not find any. The committee took a strong view on this. The panel, which included amicus curiae Pravat Ranjan Das, advocate Tarananda Patnaik, Dr PK Pradhan and was accompanied by advocate Siba Narayan Panda, also inspected the endoscopy unit which operates only on Saturdays. However, no endoscopy was being carried out on the day since the doctor was not present and patients had to seek investigation outside. Similar was the story with the dialysis unit as absence of a nephrologist forced the patients to go outside. The committee inspected the general patient care and found that the state of hygiene and sanitation was abysmally poor. At the medicine ward, stagnant water was found. The condition of the labour room was worse as no hygiene was maintained. In many wards, the state of affairs was unhealthy as medical refuses like syringes and cotton were being disposed of right through the windows. The toilets were in a shambles with no cleaning being done. Even the drinking water points were so badly maintained that contamination could not be ruled out. “For the first time, we saw a hospital corridor littered with so many alcohol bottles that could outnumber the medical products used in such a facility,” Das said. While patient care went for a toss, the bio-medical waste management remained far from satisfactory. The segregation, collection and disposal of the waste in coloured bins did not conform to the norms. The hospital staff complained of lack of manpower and doctors at the hospital. The committee also saw some parts of the hospital building dilapidated. However, the neonatal unit and the ICU were found to be in good shape. The committee is expected to pay another visit in a month’s time to see the state of affairs.
Comments
0 comment