Patients suffer as lone doctor handles it all at medicine OPD

Sumeer Singh

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, October 22

Patients to the Medicine OPD at the Civil Hospital suffered as there was only one doctor at the ward to examine a crowd. Patients kept waiting for hours for their turn to get examined at the hospital.

Patients rue that there are three medicine doctors but on every alternate day there is only one doctor available at the hospital.

Things turned awry when even the single medicine doctor left the ward for sometime around 11.30 am. As there was not an adequate number of seats, a large number of patients jammed the main entrance to the OPD. They decried poor state of affairs at the government hospital.

Balwinder Singh, a jaundice patient of Talwandi Sabo, said, “I had reached the hospital at 9.30 am and it is 12 pm now, but I have not been examined so far. There is only one doctor for hundreds of patients at the medicine OPD. This is my third visit in the past 10 days and each time there was only one doctor available and I had to wait for hours for my turn to get examined. It is for the Health Department authorities to consider the inflow of patients at the ward. There must be a provision of at least three doctors at the same time so that patients are not subjected to unnecessary harassment.”

Some patients kept writhing in pain as they had to stand for hours due to lack of seating arrangements. Relatives/family members accompanying them rued that there was only one doctor at the medicine OPD and when she also left, patients were completely helpless. The commotion arose due to the presence of a large of number of patients, adding to their woes.

Rano Devi, another patient of Kot Shamir, said, “I have been waiting for my turn since morning and now it is around 12 and I have lost hope. There are hundreds of patients in the OPD and a single medicine doctor cannot do much. The Health Department must ensure that at least two doctors are available at the medicine OPD at the same time. Moreover, authorities must ensure that there are proper seating arrangements in the hospital.”

On average approximately 300 to 350 patients visit the medicine OPD and there are three medicine doctors at the Civil Hospital.

Senior Medical Officer, Civil Hospital, Dr Satish Goyal could not be contacted despite repeated attempts.