VISHVENDU JAIPURIAR
Hazaribag, June 2: Despite having sufficient resources in Sheikh Bhikhari Medical College and Hospital (SBMCH) Hazaribag, patients are becoming victims of the negligence of doctors and para-medical staff. Even negligent deaths are also taking place in short intervals. In a fresh case, despite the installation of two PSA oxygen plants in the Medical College Hospital premises, a heart patient had to struggle for hours for oxygen. When there was chaos in the Medical College Hospital due to lack of oxygen, the relatives of the needy patient informed Hazaribagh Sadar MLA Manish Jaiswal at around 1 pm.
Sources said Shakulanta Devi (age about 54 years), a heart patient, resident of Krishna Nagar, located in Masratu Panchayat of Katkamdag block of Hazaribagh district was brought by her relatives to this hospital for treatment on Thursday night. She was facing trouble breathing. Due to all beds being full in the old ICU, New ICU and Women’s Medical Ward, she was admitted to the senior Citizens Ward. But there was no supply of oxygen through the oxygen pipeline. The family members of the patient kept pleading for oxygen from the health workers posted in the ward but their efforts were in vain. The patient kept yearning for oxygen but no one took care. When MLA Manish Jaiswal came to know about this on Friday morning, he spoke to HMCH Superintendent Dr Vinod Kumar and urged him to improve the situation immediately. MLA media representative Ranjan Chowdhary informed the superintendent and hospital manager to depute a senior health worker in the wards on night duty. The hospital manager said that this problem is happening due to an erratic power supply after a high-speed storm came here last week.
In this regard, Choudhary tweeted to Hazaribagh Deputy Commissioner Nancy Sahay and demanded to ensure uninterrupted oxygen supply in the wards of the hospital.
When the MLA representative Ranjan Chaudhary reached the hospital and wanted to know the situation, not only the senior citizen ward but patients of other wards also complained of negligence in treatment. There were neither oxygen cylinders nor oxygen concentrators available in the wards. Nor was oxygen being supplied through the pipeline. Choudhary said the oxygen supply in the hospital is faulty and no efforts were taken to correct it which explains the insensitivity of the hospital, he added.
The efforts of MLA Manish Jaiswal proved fruitful and immediately the power problem of the PSA oxygen plant was resolved by the hospital management. An order was issued by the superintendent of the hospital directing all nurses in charge to ensure that five oxygen cylinders and a minimum of two oxygen concentrators are made available in different wards.
Hazaribagh DC Nancy Sahay, while replying to the tweet of MLA media representative Ranjan Chaudhary from her Twitter handle within a few hours today promised suitable action in this regard.
