SUB-DIVISIONAL HOSPITALS ARE IN PITIABLE CONDITION

Ara, 3 July 2023, (RNI): Bhojpur district has two Sub-Divisional Hospitals but their condition especially that of Piro is pitiable. Piro Sub-Divisional Hospital neither has its own building nor sufficient number of doctors, nurses of paramedical staffs.

The Piro Sub-Divisional Hospital is running in the building of Community Health Centre at Piro. According to the decision of Bihar Government in the year 2022, all the Sub-Divisional Hospitals in the State have to be provided with 50 beds so that more and more patients do not have to go to the upper hospitals but when there is no building in Piro Sub-Divisional Hospital, what is the meaning of facility of beds.

In 20210, the Bihar Government had established a Sub-Divisional Hospital in Piro in Bhojpur district but even after 13 years, the Bhojpur district administration failed to provide land for the building. It has been put on hold. Neither the government asks for any report on this nor district the administration take any action. Even the leaders and social organizations have not raised any voice for this yet. The Piro Sub-Divisional Hospital and the Piro Community Health Centre are being operated in only eight rooms whereas eight rooms are necessary for the Community Health Centre. Although the Community Health Centre is two storey building where meetings etc are held on the upper floor or in special circumstances, the patients are treated.

Piro does not have a Neo-Natal unit. Along with this, there are not many other wards. The maternity ward is opened for name sake. Here no patient is treated in the emergency ward because it lacks desired instruments for the operation and other facilities. Such insensitivity of the department is taking toll on the patients.

As per the directives of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Department, a doctor should be posted for 834 patients in the country in a hospital but the number of doctors is Piro Sub-Divisional Hospital is very less. It has not even a single dresser. In this case, the dressing of the wounds of the patients is done with the help of a fourth grade worker or a nurse.

In the light of the instruction of the government, daily information about the stock of medicines is to be given through information letter but this seldom happen. Only one, two or three medicines are given to patients and the remaining are asked to be bought from outside. This causes a lot of torture for the poor patients. The government has directed to keep total stock of 212 medicines of the Out Door Patients (OPD) whereas 101 medicines for the indoor patients but the hospital administration do not do this. Reportedly doctors tell almost every patient to buy 70 percent of medicines from outside.

Out of the working doctors, Dr. Lal Vinay Kumar is unauthorizedly absent since September 2020 whereas Dr Sanjay Kumar is deputed at Charpokhari PSK and Dr Lal Narayan Singh is deputed at Shahpur. Altogether there are only seven doctors is this hospital and now the question is that which department will be handled by these doctors. It can be understood. In such a situation, the patients are sufferers.

The Medical Officer-in-Charge, Piro Sub-Divisional Hospital Dr Akhilesh Kumar said that land is not available for the hospital and they were trying to search for the same. He said that they are providing better treatment to the patients with the available resources.

On the other hand, Jagdishpur Sub-Divisional Hospital has its own building without any facility and the patients are worst sufferers. Doctors disappear and patients remain lightheaded. No one bothers to see the doctors’ absence and no action is taken against them that emboldened the doctors at the cost of patients. The Jagdishpur Sub-Divisional Hospital has not a Neo-Natal unit and emergency and maternity wards are to be called but facilities are missing.  

It is said that the doctors preferred to refer the patients instead of treating them at both the Sub-Divisional hospital and the referring has become their weapons. The reason for this is that Operation Theatre is not up to standard on one hand and on the other lacks high-tech machinery. Besides, the doctors refer the patients to private clinics and charge a hefty amount for treatment.

The Jagdishpur Sub-Divisional Hospital has 24 sanctioned posts but 13 are posted and only 10 are working.

Dr. Binod Kumar Singh, Medical Officer-in-Charge, Jagdishpur Sub-Divisional Hospital said that whatever resources are there, they are put to good use. Even if there is something missing, we will try to fix it.

In addition to it, the Piro and Jagdishpur Sub-Divisional Hospitals have two ambulances each but most of time these ambulances remain defective and useless for the patients and they have to hire private ambulance at the time of need at exorbitant fare.