Patna Medical College and Hospital burns ward in bad shape

PATNA: Lack of special beds for patients, poor drinking water and sanitation facilities, no waiting room for attendants, inadequate security arrangements, AC mostly in dysfunctional mode and many more such glitches will haunt you, if, God forbid, you have to go to the burn ward of PMCH.
The 52-bed ward, which usually remains full, is in dire need of a major makeover.About 50-60 patients are always admitted to the ward. Ironically, when the beds are full, patients are kept on the floor, a big no-no for burn patients, as it is considered an acute emergency ward.
Burns and plastic surgery HoD Dr VP Choudhury said, "There is severe shortage of doctors, special burn recovery beds for patients, nurses and other paramedics in the ward."
He said the ICU is also in a bad shape as it suffers from shortage of ventilators and monitors. "Most of the time, the medicines prescribed for burn patients are not available in the hospital causing great inconvenience to patients as well as their attendants as they have to fetch the medicines from outside," said Dr Choudhury, adding the entire ward is sometimes converted into a 'dharamshala' as there is no waiting hall for attendants and proper security arrangements which could stop the influx of attendants.
The HoD said three posts of associate professors, two of assistant professors, one of senior resident and those of medical officers to man the emergency are presently lying vacant in the department. "Though we have requested for appointment of more doctors long back, no action has been taken so far. There is also lack of qualified doctors needed for advanced plastic surgeries," he said.
Ironically, a Rs13 crore proposal to convert the ward into a 100-bed centre is awaiting government nod for several months. The department says the proposal has been submitted to the state health department, but the department speaks otherwise. Health department's principal secretary Vyasji said, "No such proposal has come to the department so far. If the proposal has been made individually, I cannot say anything. I have asked all the six government medical colleges in the state to submit a vision document to make them centres of excellence, but we have not received a single proposal so far from anywhere. A meeting has been called in this regard in October to discuss the issue."