The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Pernambut Goverment Hospital needs a facelift

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Dec 27, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Pernambut Goverment Hospital needs a facelift

Staff Reporter

Suffers from lack of adequate technical staff

Only two doctors posted for duty against the sanctioned strength of four
There are not enough beds in some of the in-patient wards

PERNAMBUT: The Government Hospital in Pernambut, which caters for 2,000 patients on a daily basis in Vellore district, suffers from the lack of adequate technical staff. The hospital does not have enough number of doctors and paramedical staff.

T. Basheeruddin, founder-president of Consumers’ Welfare Protection Society of Pernambut, said that those who could shell out more money were taken to private hospitals at Ambur. Though the allotted strength of doctors was four, only two had been posted for duty. They were not present on the campus round-the-clock. Representations had been given to the district administration to fill up the vacancies, but action was yet to be taken. Representations had also been given to MLA Chinnaswany.

Mr. Basheeruddin said that the patients could not benefit out of the ECG, X-ray and scanning facilities owing to the lack of technical staff to operate the machines. Though there was a maternity ward at the inpatient block, pregnant women could not benefit from the facilities.

There were no maternity wards in the private hospitals in and around Pernambut and the women had to travel 20 km and go to Ambur for scanning. There were no frequent bus services to Ambur either.

Mr. Basheeruddin also said that the hospital did not have enough personnel to clean and maintain the campus.

There were not enough beds in some of the inpatient wards and often people had to lie down on the floor. The stench that emanated from the rest rooms worsened the situation.

The outpatient block was surrounded by thick growth of bushes, Mr. Basheeruddin said. Garbage was littered in the open.

A special team had visited the hospital to take stock of the situation. But, the hospital management and the officials of the town panchayat union were yet to take any action, he added.

There were separate buildings for the outpatients and the inpatients on the campus. Both were 200 metres away from Pernambut Main Road.

Until a few years ago, the outpatient building functioned as a separate hospital for women and children, Mr. Basheeruddin said.As the building for the outpatients no more continued to function as a separate hospital for women and children, the residents of Pernambut had been denied of the benefit.

The two doctors currently posted in the hospital had to run between the two campuses, Mr. Basheeruddin said.

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