--Hosp devoid of required manpower, amenities
: As per a notification of the State Health and Family Welfare Department, the Capital Hospital, Bhubaneswar and the Rourkela Government Hospital (RGH) enjoy the same status.
The hospitals were established in just a four years’ gap. But today while the Capital Hospital is a full-fledged institution with adequate number of doctors and other paramedical staff, having more than 20 departments and about 700 bed capacity, the condition of RGH has been deteriorating day by day.
Even to restrict the expansion of the hospital, more than 10 acres of its land was leased out to a private entity to open a medical college and hospital.
The RGH is the second biggest Government- run hospital in tribal-dominated Sundargarh district. But the hospital is suffering from many deficiencies, including lack of specialist doctors and inadequate beds for years. The people of Panposh, Bonai, Rajgangpur, Kutra and neighbouring States like Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh depend on the hospital for treatment.
Though the indoor capacity has enhanced to 400 from 128 but the hospital is devoid of adequate manpower and other amenities. Sources said every day on an average 1,000 patients come to the hospital for outdoor consultancy and the number of indoor patients in a day is more than 500. That is why many patients are treated on the floor or corridors including pregnant women and children who are very sensible patients.
While in total more than 40% of doctor posts are lying vacant in the RGH, in many departments there is not even a single doctor. Presently only 41 doctors are posted including 29 specialists and at least 30
more doctors required. Several times the Government has been apprised about the problem but without any result so far.
According to Director, RGH Dr SK Swain, every day many patients are referred from different CHCs, PHCs, Sub-Divisional Hospitals for treatment to the RGH for which the pressure on the RGH remains heavy. “So, we are forced to admit them in the floor as bed number is less than the demand. Every day the report of admission and discharge patients list is provided to the Government,” he said.
As Sundargarh is a mineral rich and industrial district and an NH is passing through it, accident cases come in regular interval. The seriously injured patients are immediately taken to the RGH for treatment. But due to lack of anesthesia doctors, ICU medical officers and other amenities, it is difficult to extend medical services to the patients immediately. It may be noted here that demands are made often to fill up the doctor posts and upgrade the status of the hospital by making Rourkela a separate health district, but they are hardly paid heed to.