Shocking reality of Bhatkal Government Hospital
Horror stories of patients getting neglected and missing doctors have long disturbed patients visiting the local government hospital in Bhatkal. Bhatkallys.com recently visited the hospital and documented the poor state of affairs at the medical facility. Zaorez Haneef Shabab reports on the curious case of lost doctors and stranded patients.
Bhatkallys News Bureau/ I. Zaorez Shabab
Bhatkal, 12 October 2017: Getting a quick blood test can’t take longer than a few minutes but a patient visiting the local government hospital here in Bhatkal almost spend a day waiting to get his blood sample tested.
The ordeal for Shafi, a government teacher, started when he requested a blood test at 3:30pm and hospital staff refused citing the facility had already closed for the day. While official timings mandate the hospital to remain open till 4:30pm, there were no doctors or medical attendants when a Bhatkallys.com reporter visited the hospital to verify the allegations first-hand.
Two empty chairs, a ringing phone and locked consultation rooms were a tell-tale sign neglect by local health officials who fail to follow their own official timings.
On further investigation, Bhatkallys.com reached out to Dr Manjunath, in-charge of operational matters at the Bhatkal Taluka Government Hospital. He refused to answer any questions when asked about grievances by patients and said he was ‘not responsible for anything’. He directed our team to the local Taluka Health Officer – who again denied any involvement in hospital matters – and passed the case back to Dr Manjunath. Sadly, both officials failed to provide any information on alleged cases of neglect and mismanagement at the hospital.
Seemingly unaware of the chaos, our reporters also witnessed the inability of a duty doctor to administer a minor x-ray in an emergency sports injury reported to the hospital. The duty doctor referred the case to a private clinic as x-ray services were not available after 4:30pm.
Bhatkallys.com spoke to several patients who have recently been admitted to the hospital and the general consensus points towards a complete lack of care from the hospital staff.
A patient who did not wish to be named said, “The staff don’t respond on time and during the night shift – it gets even worst. It takes 15 minutes for someone to report to a ward after a request.”
The shocking reality check continued as we documented unhygienic washrooms, poor sanitation facilities and mosquitos in hospital ward.
One of the nurses who spoke on the condition of anonymity said the hospital was in dire need of more nursing staff as only six of the 16 sanctioned staff on duty – while two are away on maternity leave.
Bhatkallys.com calls upon local health officials and the Government of Karnataka to review arrangements at the Bhatkal Taluka Government Hospital and provide basic healthcare provisions to attend emergency cases without referring to private hospitals and clinics.
Jali Patan Panchayath Chairman, Syed Adam, Councillor Aftab Hussain Damudi and Fathima Mahboob were also present during the visit
On further investigation, Bhatkallys.com reached out to Dr Manjunath, in-charge of operational matters at the Bhatkal Taluka Government Hospital. He refused to answer any questions when asked about grievances by patients and said he was ‘not responsible for anything’. He directed our team to the local Taluka Health Officer – who again denied any involvement in hospital matters – and passed the case back to Dr Manjunath. Sadly, both officials failed to provide any information on alleged cases of neglect and mismanagement at the hospital.
Seemingly unaware of the chaos, our reporters also witnessed the inability of a duty doctor to administer a minor x-ray in an emergency sports injury reported to the hospital. The duty doctor referred the case to a private clinic as x-ray services were not available after 4:30pm.
Bhatkallys.com spoke to several patients who have recently been admitted to the hospital and the general consensus points towards a complete lack of care from the hospital staff.
A patient who did not wish to be named said, “The staff don’t respond on time and during the night shift – it gets even worst. It takes 15 minutes for someone to report to a ward after a request.”
The shocking reality check continued as we documented unhygienic washrooms, poor sanitation facilities and mosquitos in hospital ward.
One of the nurses who spoke on the condition of anonymity said the hospital was in dire need of more nursing staff as only six of the 16 sanctioned staff on duty – while two are away on maternity leave.
Bhatkallys.com calls upon local health officials and the Government of Karnataka to review arrangements at the Bhatkal Taluka Government Hospital and provide basic healthcare provisions to attend emergency cases without referring to private hospitals and clinics.
Jali Patan Panchayath Chairman, Syed Adam, Councillor Aftab Hussain Damudi and Fathima Mahboob were also present during the visit
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