Hyderabad: Government maternity hospital groans under problems

Hyderabad: During the first and second waves of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Telangana government had provided all the necessary medical equipment to fight against the Covid-19 but had ignored the government maternity hospitals.

Though the State government claims that the health sector is its priority, it is an undeniable fact that one such government-run maternity hospital located in Sultan Bazar is ill-equipped and due to lack of proper sanitation pregnant women undergoing treatment at the hospital had to tolerate cockroaches, rats, insects and mosquitoes risking their newborn baby's health as they are more vulnerable to infections.

As the hospital is located in the centre of the city patients from the southern part of the city and from various other districts visit the hospital hoping that they would get proper treatment and can go out of the hospital with their newborn babies.

A nine-month pregnant woman, Rekha Kumari who came all the way from Bandlaguda to Sultan Bazar maternity hospital for her delivery was admitted into the hospital as she was facing issues ahead of her delivery.

Rekha said, "Still fear exists in me that what if I get infected with Covid-19 while I am in the hospital, as there is no sanitation, garbage is not cleared on regular basis and during the day cockroaches, in night mosquitos make us feel very uncomfortable."

There are many pregnant women like Rekha who are facing difficulties at the hospital but with no other option left for them as they cannot afford a private hospital, they are forced to get treated at the ill-equipped hospital.

The hospital is often on low supply of medicine and medical equipment's; the hospital is in existence for the past 25 years and attracts 70 to 80 outpatients daily.

Another patient Anjum Begum said, "No hygiene is maintained by the hospital staff, cockroaches, insects, rats and mosquitoes are all over the place and the reason given is less staff and lack of basic equipment. Hence, doctors, nurses, and patients face problems."

"There are very few beds available in the hospital and sometimes two patients are forced to accommodate on one bed.

I am also worried about the safety of my newborn baby as there is a drainage overflowing beside the patient's ward, the ward premises are also filled with foul smell," she lamented