Ahead of elections, North MCD hospitals paint gloomy picture

In the upcoming Municipal Corporation elections, the keywords used as by all the parties are sanitation, education, and health.

But, amidst all the election fanfare, the hospitals run by North Delhi Municipal Corporation (North MCD) paints a gloomy picture.

Hindu Rao Hospital, located in Malka Ganj area of New Delhi, is the largest hospital run by North MCD. It boasts of around 980 beds but patients are dissatisfied with the hospital's condition. The hospital's emergency services, meant for accidents and trauma cases, thus, making it the busiest in the Capital.

Despite advanced treatments, medicines, diet programmes and other facilities (except for CT scan) being available to them free of cost, patients often complain about the hospital's pitiable condition. The dwelling of mosquitoes, lack of sanitation and shortage of drugs are some serious issues plaguing the hospital.

Most of the wards lack the necessary hygiene. The female surgical ward, which has broken windows, gives easy access to mosquitoes.

Also, the attendants and visitors at the hospital are responsible for dumping food leftovers, empty medicine packets and wrappers on the floor, thus, adding to the woes.

Dr D K Seth, Director, Hospital Administration, North MCD, said, "It is not possible that cleaning is done after every hour. The hospital has around 300 workers and cleaning is done three times a day."

According to a senior North MCD official, the efforts to strengthen the services for people will be on. "We have the infrastructure and maintaining sanitation is the responsibility of public as well. So we all need to maintain cleanness around hospital surrounding. If someone notices any matter, they should report to the concerned authority to initiate necessary action," said the official.

Talking to one of the patient's kin, Nek Singh, said: "Cheap medicines are available for free in the hospital pharmacy, but we have to visit other chemist shops for the expensive ones."