9 die in 11 hrs in same ward!

Anantapur: A spate of nine deaths in a span of 11 hours in the local government general hospital raised serious doubts over the quality of health services offered by the Department of Medical and Health and its trust deficit in the public.

A series of deaths, involving five women and four men under treatment in the Acute Medical Care (AMC) ward, sparked massive protest with Opposition parties and civil society organizations pointing their accusing finger at the hospital authorities.

The streak of deaths reportedly began at 9pm on Tuesday and the toll reached nine by 8am on Wednesday. Although the hospital authorities asserted that the deaths were all natural in an apparent bid to save their skin, the protesters attributed the tragedy to the alleged dereliction of duty on the part of the staff, shortage of manpower and poor hygienic conditions. All the deceased were in the age group of 40 and 95 years.

The patients were admitted with the complaints of renal problems, cardiac issues, kidney ailments, tuberculosis, brain hemorrhage, etc. Three of them were admitted in the midnight of Tuesday/Wednesday after referred by private hospitals and died in a span of three hours, it is said.

According to Dr A Jagannadham, Hospital Superintendent, Sanjappa (70) of Venugopalanagar was admitted to the hospital on September 27 with a complaint of respiratory disorders. He died within two hours after his admission. Tirupal (55) of Peddaduguru village was admitted late on September 26. He died on September 27 with the same problem. Chenamma (80) was admitted to the hospital on September 22 with cardiac complaints and brain stroke.

She died on in the morning of September 27. Lakshmi Devi (25) of Kottapalle village in Kanekal mandal was admitted to the hospital on September 26 at 7 pm with complaints of severe anemia, septic shock and other complaints. She breathed her last on September 26 at 9 pm, two hours after her admission. Similarly, Sarada (40) of Rajiv Colony was admitted with respiratory problems. She died on September 27 at 1.55 am.

Obanna (95) of Anantapur BJP Colony died due to cardiac arrest at 3.10am on Wednesday. He was admitted on Tuesday night at 10 pm. Gangamma (45), suffering from tuberculosis and meningitis, was admitted on September 24. She died on September 27 at 4.35pm. Govindappa admitted on September 24 with complaints of brain haemorrhage and stroke died on September 27 at 3 pm.

Sriramulu (65) of Gooty died of pulmonary disease after he got admitted on September 27.District Collector G Veerapandyan and local MLA Prabhakar Chowdary visited the hospital and consoled the kin of the victims. Although the death of nine patients, all in a single ward of AMC in a short span, was just a ‘coincidence’, ground level conditions seemed to be suggesting the other way round.

According to sources, 30 patients, who included those suffering from ailments of communicable in nature like tuberculosis, were overcrowded in a ward with a capacity of 23 beds which obviously might have resulted in infections. The hospital with 500 beds is left with shortage of 73 doctors qualified in specialty services, 150 staff nurses. The acute of shortage of manpower obviously deprives patients of timely care.

The hospital was upgraded into a general hospital from the district headquarters hospital in 2000. Meanwhile, the CPI activists staged a demonstration, blaming the shortage of doctors for the streak of deaths.