Hyderabad: The 30-year-old Golconda area hospital is known to be one of the important medical facilities in the city with its huge campus and modern infrastructure. As of today, over 300 patients visit the hospital everyday and the number is only increasing. But, it cries for immediate action as the vicinity shows the pathetic state it has been lying in.
The Golconda area hospital is the only government hospital in the Karwaan constituency which is undertaking both COVID-19 tests and vaccination. The present condition, which is putting off hundreds of poor patients visiting the hospital, reflects years of neglect of the authorities responsible.
Md. Kareem, who accompanied his wife for her delivery, has a list of complaints regarding the hospital’s upkeep. “I have been visiting the hospital for years now and the condition only deteriorated,” he says, “Neither patient nor visitors find a place to sit for consultation. The ward boys are very rude. We are often asked to pay parking fees and sometimes, even money to use washrooms. This possibly cannot be a government hospital.”
The worst of all the sights is the tuberculosis block, which is a depleted structure of a single room with broken asbestos sheets. A COVID-19 testing center lies right next to the block, which also has a leaking roof and piles of garbage behind. Scattered garbage across the pathway links one block to another.
The hospital is unsightly, replete with filthy wards and stinking toilets.
“There is only a handful of hospital staff for cleaning and maintenance. It is not possible for us to do all the work,” said a cleaner, who did not want to be quoted.
Not just its bad upkeep, the patients often raise concerns regarding the dogs present on the campus. “It is dangerous for us to go out of our ward after 6 pm as the pack of wild dogs is always ready to attack,” said Naseema Sultana, a patient at the hospital.
No salary increment for years, claim employees
A few employees said that they are given the same salary for almost ten years now. Even in times of pandemic, when a few of them tested positive for COVID-19, neither the hospital nor government had shown any mercy, they said.
Kareem (name changed), an employee said: “In dire conditions of my entire family coping with the virus too, the hospital authorities have not provided me with any facilities.”
“Giving us the vaccine first is a drama. No one came forward to help when my family tested COVID-19 positive. To sustain with these bare minimum salary, with mounting debts, in this expensive city, is not easy,” lamented another employee.
The outsourced employees, on the other hand, urge the government to make them permanent employees.
When siasat.com approached, Dr. M Gopal, the hospital’s superintendent, refused to comment on the issues that were brought to his notice.
