Amidst unabated rise in Covid cases and growing uproar against alleged utter mismanagement at GB Hospital, Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb – who also hold the health portfolio – visited the Hospital on Wednesday to assess the ground realities. He held intensive and open discussion with concerned staff pertaining to Covid management.
Notably, at least for a month, GB Hospital hit news headlines for all the wrong reasons. Series of lapses and failures to provide medical help during the pandemic situation raised serious concern among the common people. Faith and confidence of people on treatment at Hospital was seriously dented.
Amidst prevailing chaotic situation, the Chief Minister held elaborate discussion to strengthen the service providing mechanism. Shortage of staff and ICU beds, complex and time consuming procedure to get the equipments like oxygen cylinders etc. were discussed. Prolonged interactions with staff also revealed that several important suggestions relating to service delivery were not delivered to the higher authorities. Many of the suggestions made by the Chief Minister for harnessing medical services were not implemented, at all, sources claimed
During his visit, the Chief Minister invited questions from almost all the sections of the hospital and assured affordable solutions in view of the present situation. The most important and striking point that consumed the highest time during the meetings was acute staff shortage. The Chief Minister was apprised of the serious staff crisis that was being reported from almost all sections of the hospital.
Beginning from doctors, nurses to the people engaged in administrative wings learnt to have informed the Chief Minister of their plight. Doctors being the worst affected by the pandemic informed the Chief Minister that they were working for 15 to 16 hours a day to deliver the health facilities and lack of rationalized distribution of doctors specifically in Covid wards, the health care delivery system was hampered the most.
The doctors also informed the Chief Minister that there were some urgent requirements in the Covid wards. “Only five to six doctors are posted in Covid wards for 250 to 280 patients, shortage of ICU beds, lack of bed capacity in AGMC where only 120 beds are allotted for 260 to 280 patients and time consuming delivery of equipment when needed. All of these have affected the treatment facilities most”, the doctors told the Chief Minister.
Some of the officials present in the meeting also said to have informed the Chief Minister that much crucial information was being somehow hampered in the way reaching the topbrass. “Very crucial information related Covid patients fail to reach the higher authorities or get suppressed in the mid-way. This information gap amidst this pandemic has, to an extent, triggered a sense of misunderstanding between the administration and the doctors”, a senior doctor told the CM.
Moreover, Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb also inquired of the suggestions made by him during his last visit. “Some suggestions have been forwarded by the Chief Minister to smoothen the healthcare delivery system in GBP hospital. In today’s visit, he has come to know that most of his suggestions are not implemented the way he wants”, said a source.
On the problems of some casual staff, who are struggling for salaries since months, the Chief Minister said to have instructed the concerned officials to find out the reasons behind it. The Chief Minister also assured that soon some people would be appointed in contractual manner to overhaul the system.
