Vizag Kings George Hospital Clarifies on Viral Video

Allu Shirisha, a pregnant woman from Kotnandur in the East Godavari district, gave birth to a baby on Tuesday morning. Born prematurely, the baby required special attention and doctors advised the parents that it be placed in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) attached to the children's ward for some days.

As a nurse carried the newborn to the NICU, the baby's father, Allu Vishnumurthy, was seen walking along, carrying an oxygen cylinder on his shoulder to ensure that the baby received the necessary dose of oxygen during its transfer from one ward do another.

An official explanation was that there was a “shortage of hospital staff” to do this work.

This touching moment was captured by bystanders and shared widely on social media platforms, causing huge embarrassment to the authorities. Many netizens sharply reacted to the sad state of affairs at the hospital.

The King George Hospital is the largest government-run health facility in the state and is in vogue for some 150 years. It is affiliated to Andhra Medical College. Apart from regular hospital staff, a large number of interns are on duty there round-the-clock.

Faced with harsh criticism, a chastened supervising medical officer at KGH, Dr Sivananda, told the media that he took “immediate action.” He made internal enquiries and expressed his anger at the doctors and staff over their “lack of preparedness.”

He said a battery-operated vehicle would be made available to ensure the safe and efficient transport of critical equipment and patients within the hospital.

Gondu Seetharam, a member of the state commission for protection of child rights, said a press release that he has asked the hospital authorities to submit an immediate report to the commission.”