The sorry state of affairs in the Mother and Child Hospital in the district headquarters, Mancherial town, is testimony to the authorities’ lackadaisical attitude in delivering quality healthcare to the masses. Though the State government is striving to ensure that the government hospital provides quality healthcare to all sections of people, particularly the poor, this mother and child hospital is criticised for failing to rise to the occasion.
The Mother and Child Hospital, which was built at a cost of Rs 17 crore, was inaugurated by Minister for Health T Harish Rao. Though the hospital building looks beautiful from outside, the hospital continues to struggle with deficient infrastructure.
Apart from the lackadaisical attitude on the part of the authorities, the apathy being displayed by healthcare workers has deprived patients of quality. It has been facing a shortage of doctors. But even the few doctors in the hospital have found themselves hamstrung by poor infrastructure, it is alleged.
Pregnant women, who come to the hospital for delivery, are forced to bring a fan along with them. There are no air-conditioners in the hospital. At least 200 patients visit the hospital every day. Patients from Kumaram Bheem Asifabad district, also far from the Maharashtra border, visit the hospital for medical aid.
Apart from it, the location of the hospital on the outskirts of the town has contributed to the inconvenience of patients. The town cannot boast of a good public transport system. Patients are forced to shell out a lot of money for transport.
