Lack of basic facilities in Nellore GGH irks patients, kin

Attendants of patients resting on the floors of ACSR Government General Hospital in SPS Nellore.

More than the patients admitted in a hospital, their family members face a lot of troubles while taking care of them day and night. If it is a government hospital, then the problems are endless. The patients and their attendants are suffering due to lack of basic facilities such as drinking water and furniture at A.C. Subba Reddy Government General Hospital (GGH) in SPS Nellore.

“As there are no chairs or benches here, four of our family members were sitting on the floor outside the intensive care unit (ICU) last night. Moreover, the hospital staff have switched off the fans during this summer,” said Yedukondalu, a visitor.

Another caretaker, B. Eswar, complained that the reverse osmosis (RO) drinking water filter was not working and he was forced to drink water from an earthen pot, in which some patients had dipped their fingers while trying to drink water using a glass.

Similarly, there are many complaints from the attendants of patients’ that the sockets used for charging mobile phones were not functioning in almost every block of the hospital. They were unable to make important calls to reveal the health condition of their family members.

The toilets and the surrounding areas look untidy. The hospital wards, where the doctors go for rounds, were maintained neatly, but not other places. The sanitation staff and kin of the patients were blaming each other for the unhygienic atmosphere in the premises.

While the sanitation workers alleged that the people coming from rural areas were littering everywhere, the attendants of patients’ complained that the outdoor spaces were not cleaned regularly. Asifa, a relative of an expectant mother said, “To avoid the bad smell at the time of eating, we prefer having food outside the maternity block. The waiting halls were too horrible, with the walls still having marks of tobacco spit.”

Denying all these allegations, GGH Superintendent Dr. B.S. Naik told The Hindu that all facilities were available in the hospital. He informed that three RO water filters were donated by Nellore MP Vemireddy Prabhakar Reddy. “We have also repaired an existing water dispenser ahead of the summer. Apart from these, we have kept drinking water pots in the wards so that the patients and their caretakers do not face any problem during this season,” he informed.

When asked about lack of furniture in the hospital, Dr. Naik said, “It is not good for both the patients and visitors to keep chairs near the ICU. It is highly infectious area. So, we avoid putting chairs or benches. Some people sit down despite warnings from the hospital staff.”