Hon’ble Minister sees it for himself

A grim-looking Ramadoss stayed on for one-and-a-half hours during which he ordered construction of the paediatric ICU and Operation Theatre with proper facilities. He also asked the hospital to procure ventilators and portable X-rays for the wards and increase the manpower. ‘‘I have instructed the authorities and they will take care,’’ said the minister, speaking to Delhi Newsline.

Ward No 18 was the only unclean place he came across in the entire department. For while he was visiting this ward, the sanitation staff was working overtime elsewhere. The entire effort, however, failed to impress Ramadoss much as attendants of the patients complained about the negligence of the doctors and paramedical staff.

A father complained that the doctors were forcing him to leave with his son, Mohit, who was unconscious in one of the wards for 15 days. ‘‘They want me to leave without even the discharge summary,’’ he said.

The minister’s visit came as a blessing for many. One man got his 19-year-old daughter admitted in the emergency while another man sitting with his ailing son on the stairs after carrying him into the X-ray room was readmitted into the ward.

Though the doctors assured the minister of availability of drugs, the parents had a different story to tell. From the callousness of the staff to non-availability of water to how the security guards barred their entry if they were denied the ‘entry fee’.

The minister looked into the files, asked for a list of critical cases and studied them himself. The gas cylinders were checked, staff questioned and officials confronted. The clean floors couldn’t put a shine on the hospital.