The Hindu : Front Page : Vital medicines not available at OGH

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Nov 05, 2006
ePaper

Front Page

Front Page

Vital medicines not available at OGH

J.S. Ifthekhar

Patients forced to sell land, borrow money to purchase emergency drugs

Hyderabad: His face twitches and contorts with pain as he struggles to breathe. Nearby, Jangamma's eyes well up with tears as she looks at the oxygen mask and IV drip attached to her husband in the Post Operative and Resuscitation ward at Osmania General Hospital.

Jangaiah was operated upon a month ago for removal of tumour in the abdomen. Far from recovery, his condition has only worsened with the wound rupturing due to infection.

He badly needs a dose of Albumin 20 per cent solution to supplement the depleting protein level in his body. But this important drug is simply not available in the OGH.

Land sold

During the last one month he has ran up bills worth Rs. 25,000 on purchase of medicine from outside. To meet the expenses, he has sold his agricultural land in Shadnagar. "Everyday I buy medicines worth Rs. 500 from outside," says his distraught wife.

Bed sores

To add to his woes, Jangaiah has developed severe bed sores as the hospital has no water bed to prevent sores. The AMC unit has made an indent for it on October 19 but it is not supplied so far.

Jangaiah is not the only patient purchasing medicines at OGH. Almost every patient here has to buy basic things like Metrogyl IV, disposable syringes, saline bottles and B complex injection. Ravi of Nalgonda has spent Rs.20,000 on purchase of medicines. He underwent surgery for treatment of bowl perforation on October 11. Three days later he got infected and had to undergo another operation. "I have borrowed money on interest to buy the medicines," says his brother Ramesh, showing the bunch of cash memos of medical stores.

The unhygienic conditions at OGH are appalling. Even in post operative wards where patients need clean environment one can see blood and filth all over. "Patients often develop infection after surgery," says a doctor.

Vanishing drugs

Several emergency drugs have vanished from the OGH shelves. The Buy and Supply Indent book at AMC shows orders placed for DNS, Metrogyl, Celemin, Celepid, Dextrose injections weeks ago. "But till now they are not supplied," says G. Sravan Kumar and P. Purushotham, president and vice-president, House Surgeons Association, OGH.

The OGH has run out of x-ray films and syringes for the last one week. Even spirit is out of stock and duty nurses are forced to dilute it with water or sometimes use normal saline, it is said.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page

News Update

Stories in this Section