Pressure on Indore, Bhopal for lack of facilities in district hospitals

BHOPAL: The pressure of patients has increased on the hospitals in Bhopal and those in Indore because of mismanagement in the district hospitals.

At present, there are nearly 51 hospitals — including government and private ones in Bhopal — where patients are being treated. There are 5,438 patients in Bhopal and 7,917in Indore. A large number of patients from Sehore, Raisen, Vidisha, Betul, Hoshangabad and Itarsi have been admitted to the hospitals in Bhopal. Similarly, many patients from Mandsaur, Ratlam, Devas, Neemuch, Badwani, Khandwa, Khargon and from other areas are undergoing treatment in the hospitals in Indore.

The main reason for such large number of patients being treated in Indore and Bhopal is that the facilities in hospitals in the nearby districts, from where patients are coming, are in poor state. If the conditions of any patients deteriorate in the district hospitals around Bhopal, they are immediately rushed to the state capital.

The doctors at the district hospital are scared of providing even preliminary treatment to the patients. Apart from that, some people are admitting patients straightaway to the hospitals in the state capital. The medical facilities in private as well as in government hospitals in the state capital have gone for a toss, since the patients are being brought to Bhopal.

The condition of hospitals in Indore is no better than those of Bhopal. Many patients from other districts have been referred to the hospitals in Indore. As a result of this, the health system in Indore is on the verge of collapse. The administration did not pay attention to improve the health facilities in the district hospitals for years.

The health department has not been making any efforts for many years to improve the basic health facilities in the district hospitals. For that reason, a critical situation has developed. To treat a corona patient, oxygen and ventilator become necessary at times, but such facilities are barely available in most of the district hospitals. Besides, as there is no facility for CT scan in many districts, patients are being brought to Bhopal and Indore.

According to an officer, it is true that 50% of active patients in the state have been admitted to hospitals in Bhopal and Indore. This is the reason why, the health system in these two districts has almost conked out.