The renovation of the Operation Theatre of Hyderabad’s largest government hospital – Gandhi Hospital – has left scores of patients of the Orthopaedic Ward in the lurch as their treatment has been put on hold or deferred.
Many of these patients, especially those who have come from far away, have been forced to stay inside the premises for weeks on end.
Take the case of 14-year-old Vincent, a Class 9 student from Uppal. He was admitted to hospital in February due to an infection in his left foot. Initially doctors tried treating his infection with medicines. However, they later concluded – after several examinations – that Vincent would need to be operated on.
His doctors first fixed the date of operations as March 17, along with the surgeries of six other patients in the same ward. However, with the renovation works under progress, only five surgeries took place and the surgeries of Vincent and another patient were cancelled.
Patients from the ward lament that they have already spent more than a month in the hospital. They alleged that the hospital itself functioned quite slowly and, adding to their woes, the renovation had ensured their condition didn’t improve.
Now, thanks to the fact that the ward is being renovated and his surgery has been pushed back, Vincent cannot appear for his final examinations scheduled to start on April 2.
As it is Vincent wasn’t sure he would be able to appear for his exams as he had missed several important classes. But now it is certain that he won’t make it.
“I have missed nearly two months of classes. How will I be able to write my exams? They said the operation will not take two more weeks, so I will be operated on as my classmates write their exams,” says Vincent.
He also isn’t sure whether he will be promoted to the next class or will be detained.
Vincent’s mother, Santoshi, says that she wants to leave the hospital along with his son, but is being forced to stay.
“It is impossible for me to travel from Uppal to Gandhi Hospital – the bus fares and auto fares everyday will burn a hole in our pockets. So I have been staying here for the last month with my son,” laments Santoshi.
Responding to the complaints, Hospital Superintendent P Shravan Kumar said that the renovation has led to surgeries being delayed.
“We have shifted the Operation Theatre from the third floor to the first floor due to the renovation. Surgeries will be done again when the theatre is fully equipped,” he said.