Seated at the corner of the waiting area of the Sadar Hospital, Ranchi, was Anju Munda, aged 45. She could be seen clasping her left foot in pain, which was wrapped in a crepe bandage. She was ailing from a severe soreness in her left foot. The lady needed proper medical tests for identifying the cause behind the soreness and pain but to her dismay, the day seemed to give her no solace.
Anju was one of the many patients who had come to seek treatment at Sadar Hospital. But to their dismay, doctors in Sadar Hospital were complying to the nationwide doctors’ strike on Monday in solidarity with the doctors in Bengal.
The State of Jharkhand had also planned on shutting OPD services in hospitals across the State, but the emergency services at Sadar Hospital was functional on Monday. As this was the only refuge for ailing patients to seek treatment, this service was all jam packed.
“The emergency department of Sadar Hospital was functional on Monday and it tended to every patient that came to seek treatment,” said Vijay Prasad, Civil Surgeon, Ranchi.
“My daughter has had a heat stroke and she is having fever. I hope I will find necessary medication in here,” said one of the visitors to the emergency room in Sadar Hospital.
Patients like Anju Munda who need specialized medical observation and attention went back with a heavy heart from the hospital.
The emergency department of Sadar Hospital was indeed functional but was inept at providing concrete medical treatment. The insufficiency of specialist doctors led to a number of needy patients getting disappointed.
The wards in Sadar Hospital were jammed with ailing patients and its corridors crowded with their concerned relatives.
The emergency department of the hospital tried their level best to treat patients while the doctors were at strike.