Hyderabad: To curb the instances of demand for bribes by lower rung staff at the Modern Government Maternity Hospital Petlaburj, Hyderabad, the supervisory authorities have introduced a mechanism to curb the practice with an iron fist.
The hospital superintendent Dr Rajini Reddy with the assistance of the senior doctors displayed the phone number of the resident medical officer (RMO) on all the floors and urged people to inform them about such demand.
“Some people complained that the lower rung staff are demanding money from patients. We request people not to entertain such demands and inform us. Suitable action will be taken against the staff,” said Dr Rajini Reddy.
Hyderabad govt hospital staff accused of demanding money from new mothers
The hospital has 133 cameras installed and a staff member was entrusted with the responsibility of monitoring the activities in the hospital through the network. “Action was initiated against the staff and security personnel who demanded money. Strict action will be taken and the services of the security guards, ayahs or any other staff member will be terminated,” the superintendent of the Hyderabad hospital told reporters.
History of government maternity hospital in Hyderabad’s Petlaburj
The 430-bed hospital was started in the 19th century and was referred to as Zenana Hospital located beside the Telangana High Court in Afzalgunj. The Hyderabad hospital was rechristened Victoria Zenana Hospital later and operates from a three-storied building in Petlaburj.
The hospital offers facilities for eclampsia rooms, medical intensive care units, a high dependency unit, a septic ward, an injection roofer ward, post caesarean ward, a postnatal ward, gynaec ward, a family planning ward, an antenatal ward and an ambulance services.
As part of the Aarogya Mahila Scheme, several diagnostic tests and screening for non-communicable diseases are done for patients at the Hyderabad hospital. It also runs other programs such as ‘Anaemia Mukt Bharat’, Janani Suraksha Yojana and Aarogyasri. There are speciality clinics at the hospital to treat certain diseases and a full-fledged radiology department.
“A full-fledged lab functions round the clock to cater to inpatients and outpatients,” said Dr Rajini Reddy.
