Hyderabad: Staff crunch ails health centres; patients return sans treatment

Charminar: Patients, especially those seeking medical help at the Urban Primary Health Centres (UPHCs) and Basti Dawakhanas, are forced to return without being treated with most of these centres being understaffed. With this, they are forced to visit private clinics and hospitals.

At a time when the seasonal diseases are at peak in the city, a large number of people are forced to return without being treated at UPHCs and Basti Dawakhanas with many of these centres lacking adequate medical staff.

At the UPHCs in the southern part of the city, including those in Panjesha, Darulshifa, Doodh Bowli, Puranapul, Hassan Nagar, Bahadurpura, Rein Bazar and Yakutpura, patients were seen returning sans being treated.

Shaik Jeelani, a resident of Hussaini Alam said, "I visited Doodh Bowli UPHC to get treated for viral fever. However, after waiting for an hour, I returned without getting any help as I came to know that there was no doctor and the patients were being treated by a nurse."

Mohammed Ahmed, vice-president, TDP, Greater Hyderabad Minority Cell said that there were several such health centres where no doctor was available.

"The government, which claims to provide the best medical services in UPHCs and Basti Dawakhanas, has opened them in each division with no adequate number of doctors and staff, besides the medicines," he said, adding that most of the patients were being asked to leave with the staff busy with Covid vaccination.

"There is no doctor available at the centre, and we are the ones who are treating the patients and prescribing medicines," said the staff on the condition of anonymity at one of the UPHCs in the city.

When asked about treating the patients suffering from seasonal diseases like dengue, they said that for such cases, they provide general medicines for three days and later suggest the patients to visit other hospitals.

Abul Rahman, a social activist said, "At UPHCs in Rein Bazar, Murtuza Chaman and Chunne ki Bhatti, the staff at the lower level treat patients and prescribe medicines.

"Recently, a representation was submitted to the District Medical and Health Officer requesting the appointment of doctors.

However, as usual, nothing has been done. The government and health department must take a serious note and appoint the doctors at these centres and help the patients," he added.