Urban Primary Health Center staff struggle to cope with patient rush

Qutubullapur: Patients are being forced to wait in the long queues for several hours at Urban Primary Health Center (UPHC) in Qutubullapur. The locals allege that there is only one single doctor with hardly any paramedical staff who are treating the patients.

On an average, close to 150-200 outpatients are being treated in a day at the primary health care center. The paramedical staff does multiple jobs that include handling the pharmacy and also conducting pathological tests.

It is cumbersome for a single doctor to look after so many patients in a day. Also due to lack of medicines in the pharmacy, the patients are forced to purchase medicines from outside.

The sole government-run healthcare facility in the area, the UPHC caters to the areas of Suraram, Shapur, Ram Reddy Nagar HMT colony, Jeedimetla Village, Qutubullapur.

UPHC is a 4-bedded health center equipped with diagnosis room and pharmacy but the lack of doctors and also a shortage of medicines has compelled patients to travel further away to the other government hospital in the city for treatment.

The patients have to wait in the long queues for availing the services. "It is a tough job to wait for our turn as there is only one doctor available. It is horrible when the crowd is more and patients are forced to stand outside the hospital and it is also the pathetic situation for the mothers who stand in the long queue carrying their babies," says K Shanti, a patient.

"I waited for three hours with my mother in the long queue for our turn to come. If such a situation prevails, we can only imagine the plight of patients who come here seeking immediate care for serious illnesses," rues Umesh, an attendant of the patient.

"There is also a shortage of medicines in a pharmacy. We generally buy them from outside. Several times we have complained about these issues to the authorities concerned but no action has been taken yet. For five years the situation has remained the same," deplored Y Lakshmi another patient.