Niloufer needs intensive care

​Hyderabad: The Niloufer Hospital is bursting at the seams and needs urgent care. The bed strength is 500 but the hospital caters to about 800 patients on a daily basis. During the monsoon season, the number could touch 1000 patients. There have been instances when the 500-bed hospital served 1400 patients.

Not surprisingly, the staff look tired, the equipment outdated and morale low. Ravi (name changed on request), a ward boy at the hospital says we are overworked and underpaid. The beds are just not enough and the bed sheets even less.

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Highlights:

• Patient-bed ratio goes awry
• Emergency ward in shambles

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Soon after the monsoon, there is a surge in the number of outpatients. On an average, 1,000 patients visit the hospital, during and immediately after rains, the number trebles.

There are six pediatric wards with 240 ward beds, 180 general ward beds and 60 emergency beds but due to increased number of patients, the existing beds are not enough.

A senior doctor at the hospital on condition of anonymity shares, “We cannot tell the patients to go back and the only way is to make them share a bed.

Children are made to share beds.” With patients outnumbering the beds, many parents are seen bringing their infants out in the open yard. Rahman, a patient’s father said, “We spend most of the time in the open space between the buildings as there is greenery.

Inside the wards it is stifling.” Dr Suresh, Superintendent of Niloufer Hospital, agrees, “The number of patients outnumber the beds and we are trying our best to find a solution. This has been going on for years.” The new block which is under construction for years is still not complete.

In the meanwhile, children are squeezed into beds. Yashoda, parent of four-year-old Sarika and one-and-a-half-year-old Ram says, “My daughter was suffering from high fever and cough and my son with vomiting.”