The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Reporter's Diary

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
ePaper

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Reporter's Diary

Err... , you're wrong

It is not every day that you visit a government hospital and are pleasantly surprised that everything is running like clockwork and patients are being attended to with much care and dedication even on a holiday.

This is what happened at the SDS Tuberculosis and Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases when this reporter visited the institute following a complaint from a reader that patients did not have proper toilet facilities and that food was being made and transported in an unhygienic manner there.

Hoping that she will be able to catch staff and doctors unawares and will uncover some petty corruption, the reporter went to the premises of the hospital — only to be proved wrong. Even though it was a second Saturday, when most government hospitals and the employees take a break, in this hospital the duty doctors and nurses were diligently attending to patients. This despite the fact that the hospital is severely short-staffed.

Not only were there toilets in all the wards (including the general wards) and even one in the outpatient section, they were neatly and hygienically maintained.

As she waited outside the surgeon's chamber, the institute director, who is also a thoracic surgeon, emerged from the operation theatre. Asked about the kitchen, he immediately removed his surgeon's gown and said: "Let's go there immediately and check out for ourselves." It was so spick and span that it would put most kitchens to shame. Having just cooked the afternoon meal for the patients, the kitchen staff had immaculately cleaned up the place. It is heartening to see a government hospital doing good work despite the many problems.

Pleasing everybody,

pleasing none

Health and Family Welfare Minister R. Ashok is in great demand to grace functions in the city for that he is also the in-charge Minister for Bangalore city. The Minister has no less than half-a-dozen programmes in a day to attend, as he is loath to displease any of the organisers. The consequences are disastrous: either he turns up late or sometimes has to skip the programmes itself.

One such programme was the inauguration of the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP)'s male general ward at the Jayadeva Institute of Cardiology and presenting a cheque for Rs. 1 crore on behalf of the BBMP to the institute on Saturday. While the programme was scheduled at 11 a.m., the Minister arrived at 12.15 p.m.

Had it been a general programme, not many would have been troubled. However, it being held at this heart institute must have troubled many a heart patient, though none of them dared grumble.

To add to their misery, BBMP Commissioner K. Jairaj too arrived late due to his preoccupation at the Chief Minister's Janata Darshan.

Anil Kumar Sastry

Sahana Charan Anil Kumar Sastry

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