The Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) managed Ispat General Hospital (IGH) used to enjoy the position among top ten hospitals in Eastern India. As a result, besides other parts of the State, the patients from other neighbouring States too made a beeline for the hospital for better treatment. But, ironically, that is a passé now.
These days, the family members, friends and relatives of the indoor patients of IGH are not sure about recovery of the patients. This is despite the fact that huge funds have been pumped into the infrastructural development of the hospital for improving its standard of treatment and other services.
From an inquiry and opinions from the people of different walks of life, it is learnt that the staff crunch is the core raison d’être for poor service in the hospital. As on date, over 50 per cent of required doctors, nurses and other paramedical posts are lying vacant in the IGH. From the study, it is understood that the hospital is a 700 odd bedded hospital. Accordingly, in total, about 200 doctors in different departments are required for smooth going in the hospital. But surprisingly, the total doctors’ strength is hardly half of the required number. Many departments have no doctors. It is understood that the management has been notifying for recruitment of doctors. But no adequate response has been noticed as there are lots of avenues for good doctors in other hospitals with handsome salary and other facilities. So the top level management, instead of thinking of it, is focusing on contractual doctors under the pretext of cost control, which is simply unjust, alleged many labour union leaders and social activists of the city. According to them though health and education are the two foremost pillars of a society but here the SAIl management lacks these two very abruptly.
Similar situation prevails in case of number of working nurses. According to norms, in the ICU and burn centres etc, the number of nurses to be deployed 1:3 per shift and in general wards it should be 1:6. Accordingly considering the bed strength of the IGH, the total number should be more than 300. But ironically, the present nurse strength is less than 50 per cent of the required number. Due to this, sometimes a nurse has to manage 20-25 beds causing poor services to the patients. Though the Industrial Act says hardly a nurse can work in ‘C’ shift for a week in a month but it is violated here due to the shortage of staff nurses.
It is also alleged that the proper inter departmental rotation of nurses is not followed properly here which triggers resentment among the nurses. Though to meet the shortfall, the management has taken initiative to appoint 50 VT nurses under its CSR activities on consolidated salary of Rs 9,000 per month, but that could not meet the gap as their service tenure is just one year. A person whose service period is just one year, her commitment to the service can well be imagined. So to fill the gap, it is urged to give permanent placement to the NTI students of the IGH, instead of going for all India recruitment.
It is also urged to make recruitment for other paramedical employees. Besides, though it is a very big hospital and had good reputation but surprisingly in its ward lavatories, there are no European pans which cause problem for post operative patients. Similarly the wards are fitted with A/c and water coolers but due to lack of maintenance most of them are in defunct stage.
Now the IGH is going to have a trauma centre which is under construction. So before its completion the management should initiate process for recruitment of specialized doctors, nurses and other paramedical staffs to recoup its rotten images. Though the IGH authority denies giving any official comment on it but a senior doctor on condition of anonymity accepted the issues related to poor services and said everything is under the knowledge of the management and hopefully the steps will be taken very soon accordingly to sort out the problems in recruitments and other things.