Ensure availability of medicines, cleanliness on campus: Khanna

LUCKNOW:Medical education minister Suresh Khanna on Saturday inspected the King George’s Medical University (KGMU) and enquired about patients and medical facilities being provided to them atthe hospital.

The minister stayed for over an hour on the campus and inspected out patient department (OPD), Trauma Centre and several wards where patients complained of shortage of medicines, negligence in treatment and lack of cleanliness and sanitation.

“Why will an attendant tell lie? You are not performing your duty properly and only arguing over it. People like you defame the hospital,” chided Khanna to one of the staff at KGMU, when an attendant at Trauma Centre complained about problems he was facing in treatment of his patient. The minister asked KGMU officials to remove such staff.

Khanna was virtually surrounded by patients and attendants when he reached KGMU for inspection. The minister was accompanied by the principal secretary (medical education), Rajneesh Dubey, who reached the hospital at around 12 pm.

During inspection of the OPD building, the minister spotted lack of cleanliness. He called the sanitation officer and reprimanded him over negligence. As he reached Trauma Centre, attendants approached him at the main entrance.

“My wife’s lungs are damaged and doctors here told me that nothing can be done. I cannot admit her to a private hospital as a doctor in Chennai told us that her lungs’ treatment will cost ₹40 lakh,” said Pradip Kumar Gupta, husband of Sushma Gupta, who is admitted to Trauma Centre for the past few months.

Similar complaints were received from many attendants in other wards when the minister visited to enquire about the medical facilities there . Many of them said that they were asked to purchase medicine from stores outside the campus. The minister sought reply from senior doctors, including Dr BK Ojha and Dr Avinash Agrawal of KGMU and asked them to solve the issues immediately. They were also told to increase the list of medicines so that every medicine could be available on the campus and patients do not require buying medicine from stores outside.

Complaints came up even as the minister was about to leave the campus. Aastha, daughter of a retired government employee, followed the minister from the first floor and speak to him just before he was about to sit in his official car. “My father is admitted here and we have to spend about ₹20,000 per day. We have no financial support,” Aastha told the minister, who asked doctors to get an application forwarded for the state government a financial assistance.