1. Home
2. Letters

Negligence of healthcare system in UP

Kashmir Times. Dated: 8/18/2017 11:10:49 AM

Dear Editor
At least 60 children’s death in the past five days in Gorakhpur at the state-run Baba Raghav Das Medical College hospital because of infections and an alleged disruption of oxygen supply in the paediatrics ward reveals the fact that the incident took place due to the laxity on the part of state government. Don’t we think human life has no value in our country unless it's of VIP and their family? UP & Bihar had seen many such incident in past where people died particularly kids in high number.
The negligence has raised a question over the prevailing infrastructure in the State-run hospitals in UP. It is sad that healthcare needs of poor are ignored in India due to meager allocation of money, Legal system in general and health care for poor needs reform. This is appalling incompetence and probably criminal negligence on the part of the health authorities. It is reported that CM Yogi had visited the hospital to inaugurate a new critical-care unit where many of the young patients were suffering from encephalitis, a potentially deadly illness that causes acute swelling of the brain. The disease is often spread by mosquitoes, and infections rise during the monsoon season. Insufficient manpower, lack of fund allocation and non-adherence to water quality have led to serious health problems in UP.
Several of its health facilities in government hospitals are dysfunctional. Every year and in its 5 year plans, the government announces health benefits and promises to strengthen the healthcare system. India's health system is really neglected. None of the government has paid adequate attention on it adequately. The quality of our state medical college is very low. On going through the prevailing conditions of Government hospitals one would find that odour is almost synonymous with all government hospitals. Subsequently unhygienic conditions prevails which has become breeding ground for mosquitoes, which in turn can cause diseases like malaria, dengue etc. It has been years that people are forced to bear with the stench that emanates from the place.
Waste materials strewn all around, crowded wards and waiting rooms are a grim reminder of the unhygienic condition of our health institutions. The toilets are in deplorable condition and source of infection. Scores of patients use them daily and these are not even cleaned twice a day. More so, doctors treating patients also run at a higher risk of contracting infection. A lot of support is required from various departments, including engineering controls, right infrastructure, provisions for maintaining hygiene and above all sensitization of doctors and health workers regarding good health practices. It appears the Govt. hospitals needs to take a cue from its counterparts in the private sector as far as matters of cleanliness and hygiene are concerned.
The Gorakhpur incident shows the negligence on the part of the hospital management. It is just like that on such situations we need to work out in advance as to avoid the occurrence of such incidents in the times to come. Urgent laws should be implemented to all hospitals and medicine suppliers, companies to avoid such accidental deaths. Heavy punishment for the hospital and the oxygen supplier is the only remedy to prevent future tragedies of such kind.
—Vinod C. Dixit,
B-15 Jyotikalash Society, Ahmedabad.