Like BRD, Deoria hospital too in a mess

A Gorakhpur-like tragedy is waiting to happen at the district hospital in Deoria which falls in the region that is battling Japanese Encephalitis (JE) and Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES).

The 200-bed hospital has piped gas supply to operation theatres, intensive care unit and paediatric ICU (PICU) but neither does it have a permanent supplier nor permanent staff to manage procurement and supply of oxygen.

The distribution of oxygen at the hospital is at the mercy of six unpaid youth. At least two of 10 children need oxygen support and on an average, 2-4 oxygen cylinders are required daily at the hospital that gets patients from Kushinagar and Gorakhpur in UP and Siwan in Bihar.

Since January, 153 children have been admitted here but the mortality rate is fortunately low.

“We could save all except one child that died soon after admission two months ago,” said paediatrician Dr RK Srivastava.

Pushpa Sales, which allegedly stopped supply of liquid oxygen to the BRD Medical College in Gorakhpur on August 1 due to non-payment of dues, earlier supplied oxygen to PICU at Deoria district hospital but the contract ended on March 31.

Oxygen supply to operation theatres is managed by the supervisor of the cleaning staff on a voluntary basis.

When the HT team visited the hospital on Monday, it found Abid Ali managing the cylinders at the central oxygen supply room. “I learnt how to handle cylinders and operate section machines even as I work as a supervisor. I am handling the entire system for the past two years as there is no permanent staff,” he said.

Besides his routine stay on the campus from 8am to 8pm, Ali is the only one to reach the hospital even at midnight if the system develops a snag. “I am volunteering but don’t know for how long it will continue,” he said.

The hospital authorities, however, do not find the issue serious.

Chief medical superintendent Dr KC Rai said oxygen was made available at the hospital through a local supplier. “There is no problem in oxygen supply. Other issues such as payment to staff will be sorted out soon,” he said.

The scene is even worse at PICU. Unlike Ali who gets paid as supervisor, five youth are working at PICU without being paid since April this year.

“We were deployed here by Pushpa Sales in March 2014 but as the contract came to an end on March 31 this year, we are working without salary,” said Alok, one of the five employees.

The paramedical staff, meanwhile, is all praise for the efforts being put in by the youth.