Plea in Madras HC seeks better facilities in Chengalpet government hospital

Times of India: Chennai: Tuesday, April 15, 2014.

Listing poor infrastructure that adversely affected the 4,000-odd patients visiting Chengalpet medical college hospital daily, a public interest writ petition has urged the Madras high court to order government to provide effective and quality healthcare to patients.

The PIL of Ossie Fernandes came up before the first bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Satish K Agnihotri and Justice M M Sundresh, who ordered notices to the government, directorate of medical services and the Chengalpet medical college hospital administration.

Citing information obtained under the Right To Information (RTI) Act, the PIL-petitioner said nearly 4,000 patients visited the hospital facility daily, and there were not matching facilities to ensure that they got quality medical attention.

Even shelter was no available to patients, he said, adding that they had to queue up in the open to get outpatient slips. Already suffering delayed arrival of doctors and other staff, patients had to put up with insufficient number of doctors which encouraged 'unsupervised diagnosis' and prescriptions being given by medical student. "In most cases patients are not getting due attention, their illness are not properly diagnosed and are not provided with needed medicine," he said, adding, "this is a gross violation of the code of conduct of doctors".

Ossie Fernandes further said patients requiring post-surgery care are shifted from one ward to another via the tarred road connecting the units, approximately 100 metres in distance, and added, "they are exposed to inclement weather and infection".

As for garbage collection, he said it is not removed on a daily basis. Solid waste collection and drainage system were not working properly, he complained. "Toilets do not have proper water supply and doors are in unusable condition. Many discarded items are not disposed of quickly," he said.

Noting that it is the joint obligation of the central and state authorities to provide quality medical services to people, the PIL said patients approaching the Chengalpattu government hospital had the right to get quality healthcare, besides "courteous behaviour, personalised approach and emergency response.