Patients bear with power cuts at GGH

Kurnool: Patients and their attendants are facing problems at the government general hospital here due to frequent power supply disruptions.

The GGH is one of the oldest teaching hospitals in the state. Around 2,000 to 2,500 outpatients are treated there for various diseases daily. More than 450 doctors man the 36 units of the 1,150-bed hospital.

Patients from Telangana, the Rayalaseema region, and neighbouring Prakasam district in Andhra Pradesh, as well as from Gadwal and Mahbubnagar in Telangana, and parts of Karnataka, visit the hospital.

There were supply disruptions twice at the hospital in May, giving a horrendous experience to the patients and attendants. In one such instance, there was no power from morning until 12 in the noon. The patients faced severe difficulties due to the power disruptions from 10am to 3pm the previous Friday.

Many services stopped due to the lack of a generator. As a result, the patients who came for tests had to wait for several hours.

Also, reports could not be given to patients on time after blood tests, scanning, X-ray, blood donation etc. When some pregnant women came for blood tests, those who took their samples were “confused.” Pregnant women and mothers waited for their reports for hours.

With a lack of adequate facilities, the Kurnool GGH has been seeking the government's urgent attention and additional support.

Though as many as 800 fans, 150 air conditioners, and 25-30 coolers were installed in the hospital, 30 per cent of these are not functioning or under repair. A staff member admitted that generators have been dysfunctional.

"Power disruptions severely trouble children admitted in the paediatric wards," said Sk Rahmtullah from the C-Camp area.