Waiting ordeal for patients at sarkari hosps across TS

Hyderabad: Even though the government hospitals in the State provide good services and are being developed, there is no fixed timings for the doctors to begin their duties. Patients come and wait for the doctor from 9 am but they have no idea on when the doctors arrive. They are forced to sit for hours as there is no fixed timing for Out Patients (OP) consultation. When asked in the reception on when will the doctor come, the only reply that patients get is he/she will come soon.

Patients and their ward members allege that they are forced to wait for hours for them to consult the doctor and prescribe their medication.

Also there is no fixed cabin for the doctors to sit. Even when they sit in some other cabin, the patients are not aware about it. Patients have urged the Stage government and the Health department to schedule a fixed consultation time in the government hospitals. Also the ones who are going to be operated on a particular day are also forced to wait until the surgeon arrives.

Alka, a cancer patient said, "there is no fixed time for the doctors to consult patients. The doctors and the reception ask us to come to hospital by 9.30 am, but the doctor does not come before 11am. They sometimes do not come until 2pm or 3pm. Even the head of the department is not on time. Whether a private or government hospital there showed be a fixed schedule for the doctors to get on duty. The State government and the Health department should take steps to solve the issue for the better health of patients."

Monei, a patient said, I was forced to wait for almost six hours from 9 am to 3 pm as the doctor was busy in a meeting. Firstly, as the doctor is a surgeon, he only consults patients two days a week that is Tuesday and Friday and the rest of the days he performs surgeries.

If the doctor only consults patients for two days they must have a fixed timing for consultation. Sometimes the doctor arrives before 9.30 am and sometimes he/she does not come until 2pm."

Shashank, a patients' attender said, "it is not good for a patients' health to wait for so long without being consulted.

When the doctors ask the patients to come at a particular time, even they should follow the timings. The State government should take steps to ensure that doctors arrive on a fixed particular time for the better the health of patients."