Medical staff neglects, NGO aids destitute patients

LUDHIANA: Two days ago, Darshan Lal was lying unattended on Jalandhar bypass after having taken an overdose of drugs .An ambulance took him to Civil Hospital. Sunil Kashyap had been living in an ashram in Sarabha after being abandoned by his family. He was brought to the same hospital for the treatment of a limb, that had to be previously amputated due to diabetes.
With no families to take care of them, both were admitted to the destitute ward. While doctors remained indifferent to their condition and just prescribed medicines, there was no one to make sure that they received them. They would have succumbed to their illnesses had they not been take care of, by the member of an NGO working in the hospital premises.
The NGO members made up for the apathy of the medical staff by feeding the patients, changing their clothes, helping them to washrooms and making sure that they receive the urgently required medical treatment. “The patients in the unknown ward are mostly brought in by the108 ambulance. Most of them are not even in their senses; they do not know where they come from or how they ended up in a hospital. We make sure that they are treated for ailments”, said a member.
Most of the people admitted to the destitute ward are men, either alcoholics or drug addicts. Most commonly they are patients of tuberculosis or mental illnesses. They are often found in appalling hygienic conditions. Most are neglected in the hospital ward and succumb to disease as a consequence.
The medical treatment for such people is free of cost. They can get blood tests and X-rays done for free and the NGO members take the responsibility of availing the destitute patients of them. After their condition improves, the NGO members either seek police help to locate their families or take them to old age homes, where they can be taken care of.
Sources say that about 30 such patients end up in the destitute ward every month. They also say that the attitude of the hospital staff towards them is indifferent. The staff nurses do not attend to them, in case any medical complication arises.
In the face of such allegations the hospital authorities are blaming the lack of facilities on shortage of funds. Speaking in the hospital’s defence, senior medical officer Kulwinder Singh said that they were trying to provide the best medical facilities to the patients. “Our doctors and nurses conduct proper medical examinations on them. We also try to maintain good hygiene levels. But to continue, we need more funds. The issues will be communicate to the authorities concerned”, he said.
It is only due to the NGO’s efforts that Sunil’s condition has improved. He will soon be taken to Patiala for further treatment. He is also hopeful of being able to stand up on his feet again.