The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : It is a long wait for patients

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Dec 24, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

It is a long wait for patients

By Sahana Charan

PATIENCE IS PANACEA: Patients waiting to get treatment at the Victoria Hospital in Bangalore. — Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

BANGALORE, DEC. 23. A person who has consumed poison and another one suffering from renal failure crave the doctor's attention even as he struggles to give not more than three minutes consultation time to each patient.

Meanwhile, men, women and children wait patiently outside the outpatient department for hours. Emergency cases are not necessarily attended to immediately; such scenes are common at the Government-run Victoria Hospital.

But this is not because the hospital employees are not concerned about the sick. The hospital, which receives, perhaps, the highest number of patients in the State, most of them underprivileged, is plagued with a constant problem: a dearth of doctors.

The hospital receives an average of more than 1,200 outpatients every day and there are 55 new admissions daily. Last year, there were 3.5 lakh outpatients and 18,404 persons were admitted to the hospital for various ailments. But the 964-bed hospital has only 70 permanent doctors and 20 who have been employed on contract. At a time, on busy days, a doctor sees not less than 200 patients. Every unit has at least two vacant posts. There are six medicine, five surgery and three orthopaedic units. The Government has not recruited any medical staff since 1998 in the hospital. According to hospital sources, medical practitioners were hired about 20 years ago before that.

Many of them have been waiting for their services to be regularised for more than 10 years. As some of the employees will retire in a year or two, there will be more shortage, the sources have said. Moreover, these doctors are overburdened, as they have to carry out other duties. They not only attend to the ailing at the hospital but also teach at the Bangalore Medical College, to which all the government hospitals in the city are affiliated.

According to a senior doctor some of them are called for official duty at government functions and to attend to Ministers. Whenever the politicians organised health camps doctors have to provide services. They also go to other centres as examiners and participate in HIV/AIDS awareness, Tuberculosis control and other such Government conducted programmes. Doctors can hardly attend to poor patients who cannot afford to go to private hospitals.

Siddaraju, Medical Superintendent of the hospital, admits that there has been a severe shortage of doctors for several years now.

"We sent a proposal to the department for recruitment of new medical and paramedical staff some time ago. In fact, the department concerned has suggested that walk-in interviews can be conducted. As the Ministry has just been expanded and the Minister concerned has taken charge a few days ago, we expect that steps would be taken to set right the situation," Dr. Siddaraju said.

Till that happens, the patients will have to bear the brunt.

u<132><23>Over 1,200 patients visit hospital<18>

u<132><23>Only 70 permanent doctors<18>

u<132><23>A doctor sees about 200 patients a day<18>

u<132><23>Last appointment in 1998<18>

u<132><23>Doctors have multi-duties

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