The patients and their relatives in the Government hospitals of the State Capital here are shivering in the cold while the babus of the State Directorate of Health Services and the hospital staff are enjoying the warmth provided by the room heaters. The patients are bearing the brunt of cold in the absence of any heating arrangements in the wards.
A visit to the office of the Director-General (DG) of Health Services located at Danda lakhaund area of the city highlights the facilities the officers of the cash-strapped health services are enjoying. This correspondent was surprised to find that the doors of most of the rooms of the directorate are closed. A peep into the room clarified that the doors are being kept closed so that the warmth of the room heater is not dissipated outside.
In sharp contrast to the facilities which babus are enjoying, the patients of the Doon Hospital were found to be suffering from cold as mercury has plummeted to freezing levels. Govind Singh Rawat of Badripur area who is admitted in the ward number III of Doon hospital here told 'The Pioneer' that the hospital has provided only one blanket to him but it is not effective to prevent the cold. Most of the patients have arranged woollen blankets from their home or from their relatives. Shalini Rawat who was attending her ailing father said that the blanket provided by the hospital is not enough to ward off winter so she had arranged the blankets on her own.
This correspondent found that the room heaters meant for the patients are actually being used to keep the rooms of doctors and nursing staff warm. When inquired one of the nursing staff said that the heaters are placed in wards during the night.
This claim of the nurse was denied by all the inmates and their attendants; they insisted that heaters are never placed in the ward for patients. The condition of the wards and their inmates was similar in the nearby women's hospital. The officiating Principal Medical Superintendent of Doon hospital Dr D S Rawat said that there is no shortage of blankets and heaters in the hospital. He claimed that he is personally inspecting the wards to ensure that the heaters and blankets are used properly.
When contacted the officiating Director-General of Health Services Dr l K Gusain said that the hospitals, if they require additional funds for blankets and heaters, would be provided. He advised that the hospitals could take measures like purchasing a cover for the blankets.