MAKs fail to serve needy patients

Chittoor: The purpose of establishing highly equipped Mukhyamantri Arogya Kendras (MAKs), which are earlier managed by NGOs as urban health centres, are serving no purpose due to various reasons, according to official sources. The state government has recently handed over the maintenance and management of MAK here to Apollo Group of Hospitals.

Highlights:

• Patients should produce Aadhaar cards at MAKs to avail medical services, even in, emergencies
• Chief Medical Officer says the systems and procedures introduced by Apollo Group of Hospitals is not accessible for common patients to avail the services

It has become mandatory for the patients to submit their Aadhaar card for registration in the MAK to ensure treatment. Without Aadhaar no patient would be treated in MAK. In case of emergency cases also, there is no exemption in this regard.

The next task of the patients is to explain their illness details to a designated staff nurse, who will prepare a case history which takes at least half-an-hour time for the patient.

She will then send a message to the doctor to allow the patient into his cabin. The doctor in turn instruct the staff nurse for issuing medicines to patient after due examination of the case. There is a telemedicine facility in the hospital which is out of reach for common patient.

These intricacies are said to be mind boggling issues for the needy patients visiting the hospital to get treatment. Due to this, many patients are reluctant to visit MAKs. Speaking to The Hans India, Dr Anuradha, Chief Medical Officer, MAK, Chittoor, admitted the systems and procedures introduced by

Apollo Group of Hospitals are not accessible for common patients to avail the services. “The DMHO is the controlling authority of MAKs. We are highly constrained to work here due to the stringent procedures of the Apollo Management. We are paid honorariums just without any perks.

No institutional deliveries would be taken here. There is no anti-rabies vaccine for dog bite. We have already represented the status of hospital to the government for taking necessary action,” she added.

She refused to comment on insisting Aadhaar card from the patient to get treatment in the MAK. She said there was such restriction of submitting Aadhaar card for any patient to be admitted in Chittoor Government Hospital, which runs under the management of Apollo Group of Hospitals.

By C Prabhakara Rao