Gosha Hospital deprived of facilities

Visakhapatnam: The TDP, which made tall promises during the elections, had failed to upgrade the historical Government Victoria Hospital located at Visakhapatnam Old Town. 

This 147-bed hospital is providing medical aid to over 245 pregnant women at any time throughout the year. Sharing one bed by two pregnant women and lactating women with infants is not a surprise at this hospital.  Collectors, MLAs, MPs and Ministers have been giving assurances to increase the bed capacity against the number of pregnant women during their visits to the hospital but in vain.  

The Government Victoria Hospital, popularly known as Gosha Hospital, is the first woman and child care hospital in the city. King Godey Naraian Gajapati Row established the hospital for safe institutional delivers in 1894. Presently, the hospital  is having three units with 147-bed capacity. However, for the past three-and-a-half decades, round-the-clock one bed is being shared by two women and their infants.

In fact, the doctors and staff in the hospital were appointed according to the sanctioned bed capacity only. The medical and civil infrastructure are also being maintained for the sanctioned bed capacity only. However, the women, who are coming to the hospital, told by the doctors to share the beds. 

"At present, we are rendering the services to all the women with available infrastructure and offering medicines to them. But development of the civil infrastructure, including washrooms and other facilities are need of the hour”, superintendent of Government Victoria Hospital Dr D Hemalatha said. 

In order to provide advanced super specialty medical services, the state government has constructed Visakha Institute of Medical Sciences in 110 acres land at Hanumanthawaka Junction. In the first phase, the government has constructed buildings with over five lakh sft. However, this institute was neglected during Congress tenure.

The then Collector N Yuvaraj, who is presently working at Vice-President’s office, established some beds in the VIMS for pregnant women to minimise rush at GVH. The government deputed some doctors from neighbouring district. However, the government had failed to recruit staff and provide  necessary medical infrastructure to shift pregnant women from GVH to VIMS.