Hyderabad: Gandhi hospital incidents raising concerns

Hyderabad: Health minister Dr Laxma Reddy believes that there is a conspiracy to malign the reputation of the government-run Gandhi Hospital. The minister is contemplating a police inquiry into the series of incidents that have occurred in the hospital over the recent past and giving the hospital a bad name.

According to Dr Reddy, many a times, those accompanying the patients criticise the hospital even though the patients have been given good treatment.

“There have been continuous incidents at Gandhi Hospital which have to now be viewed in a different light. It is either a conspiracy by outsiders or insiders to purposely create disturbances and highlight it. I am very serious and am looking at options of police inquiry. There is a strong need to find out why these disturbances are being created only at Gandhi Hospital on a regular basis. Apart from the medical inquiry by doctors, we are going to look into the motive of instigating attendants.”

There have been several instances of negligent treatment or lack of care and hygiene directed at the hospital by patients’ families. Is this due to poor standards of medical care in the hospital or are there mischief mongers who are instigating the relatives and attendants?

A senior health official says “The government set-up is being taken for granted and we are being blamed which is not right. There have been a series of cases at Gandhi Hospital which are being purposely highlighted to give the hospital a bad name, which is not fair."

No motive has been revealed for maligning the hospital so it is in the hospital’s best interests to hold a genuine inquiry and not just a cover-up into all incidents of alleged medical negligence.