Hyderabad: Outsourcing staff's greed for money puts a blot on Niloufer reputation

Hyderabad: The reputation of Niloufer Hospital, one of the go-to hospitals for poor and underprivileged from the city and far off places, is taking a beating due to the rude and devil-may-care attitude of the outsourcing staff. Their negligence and greed for money is even taking the precious lives of patients.

In a recent incident, a three-and-a-half-year-old boy fell prey to the greed of a ward boy who allegedly removed his oxygen supply and attached it to another patient after taking a bribe of Rs 100. The boy, who was suffering from lung-related ailments, fell unconscious and died after the oxygen mask was removed. Though the boy's family reportedly alleged that the ward boy took Rs 100 from the neighbouring patient's family and removed the oxygen mask of their kid, the hospital authorities refuted the allegation.

The accused ward boy was suspended on charges of taking money from the patient family, but not for the removal of the mask. The reason for suspension itself shows the level of corruption taking place at the hospital. Not just the family of the deceased kid, but many at the hospital, who admitted their kids and relatives, said they are forced grease the palms of outsourcing staff.

From allowing the patients to enter the hospital to serve them for the tests or treatments prescribed by the doctors, outsourcing employees have their own rate card here. Patient attendees on record said that they had to give money to those standing at the gate as well as those who serve them inside the hospital. A sweeper too would not clean the premises of the patient's bed if money is not given, they said.

Reinforcing the charges of the patients and their family members, a person standing on the premises of the hospital took money to allow the attendees inside the hospital. This is one of the stops where outsourcing employees charge money.

When asked about the irregularities of outsourcing employees and their rude behaviour with the patients, Dr Murali Krishna, Superintendent of the hospital said that the outsourcing employees were hired by agencies. "We are training them in dealing with the patients by having regular meetings with the agencies that hired them and Heads of the concerned departments. We are taking action against those if any such illegal activities of them come to our notice," he added.