Thiruvananthapuram: Long winding queues and hours of wait for an appointment with doctors sum up the problems being faced by patients at the Regional Institute of Ophthalmology here.
That the institute is bursting at the seams is the least one can say about the situation on the ground. On an average 800 patients visit the outpatient wings of the institute daily. Many of these patients have to stand in queue for three hours or even more. “I have been waiting in this queue for the past two-and-a-half hours. It is moving but only at a snail’s pace. It is suffocating,” said Pushpalatha from Kilimanoor.
The average time one has to spend to obtain a token could vary from two to three hours. It doesn’t end there. Another two to three hours wait to finally gain entry into the doctor’s chamber for consultation. While those accompanied by attenders or relatives have the luxury of taking a break, patients coming alone suffer the most.
“It is too tiring for me to stand for long hours. It is unbearable that’s why I am sitting on the floor,” said an elderly woman who came from Kollam. Being a speciality referral hospital, patients come to the institute from almost all districts including Kannur and Kasargod.
For Nazeer, a resident of Vizhinjam, it’s the second visit to the institute. “Last time I waited for a couple of hours but could not get the token. The token counter functions from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. People start queuing up as early as 5 a.m.
The hospital authorities say it is not always possible to provide token to all patients coming to the institute and treat them the same day. “Our existing bed strength is 250 for which we have 21 doctors and 33 nursing staff. The allied staff including nursing assistants, attenders and cleaning staff is adequate. But we will require additional staff strength once we start operations at the new complex three months later,” said RIO director Dr V. Sahasranamam.
Six medical officers are available at a given time. “The new complex will bring huge relief to patients. We expect to reduce overcrowding to a great extent,” said a nursing staff. While speciality clinics of Glaucoma, Squint, Paediatric Ophthalmology, Cornea and LVA clinic and associated
OPs will be moved to the new complex, the Retina clinic will continue in the old building.
