Shahdol district hospital ran 489 beds against sanctioned 300 as patient load rose

Conditions were worsening by the day. Even after the medical college began operating, pressure from patients on the district hospital kept growing. In the preceding two days, the OPD had recorded more than 1,200 patients, and in the previous 20 days roughly 19,000 patients had come for treatment. The district hospital was a 300-bed facility, but it had to run 489 beds to serve patients.

District Hospital, Shahdol

Staff were deployed only as per a 300-bed hospital. Because of the shortage of human resources, patients sometimes did not get timely treatment, and this had at times led to altercations and disturbances.

Construction was not being speeded up: A new building was being constructed right behind the hospital’s maternity ward, but work was proceeding very slowly. Once it was complete, the hospital would become a 500-bed facility, but if adequate doctors and staff were not arranged along with it, patients would continue to face problems. The hospital had a serious shortage of doctors, physical infrastructure and human resources. There was no proper arrangement for indoor patients. With too few doctors, the number of cases that could be attended to immediately was small, and several arrangements depended on a single doctor.

Even after referrals: Patients were also referred out of the district hospital, yet the pressure there remained high. Some patients, forced to be referred, went to private hospitals and were fleeced. The hospital had not been upgraded in terms of health services. The medicine department and the maternity department were in the worst condition. Visitors would find hardly any space to step. Patients crowded every corner. At night, once relatives laid out bedding on the floor, it was difficult to walk through. Conditions were such that patients were being treated while lying on the floor.