Posts filed under ‘Health Care Facility’
Centre sanctions Rs 200 crore for upgrading IGH hospital Rourkela
Following is a report from TNIE:
ROURKELA: Work on the upgradation of the RSP-run Ispat General Hospital (IGH) of SAIL into Super Speciality Hospital & Medical College (SSHMC) has finally started with the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) monitoring the project.
An amount of Rs 200 crore has been recently allocated under PM’s Swasthya Suraksha Yojana for infrastructure development of the hospital.
IGH, a well-equipped 685 bedded multidisciplinary hospital, is accredited by National Board of Examinations (NBE), New Delhi, for imparting Post Graduate DNB training in several disciplines and also runs a Nurses Training Institute (NTI). However, it has now been reduced to a referral hospital due to deteriorating medical services.
Rourkela BJP legislator and former Union Minister Dilip Ray said a high-level team of experts and architects had visited the hospital and submitted their report to SAIL and the Ministry of Steel outlining the requirement of infrastructure and medical equipment.
AIIMS, Bhubaneswar has been assigned the responsibility of introducing super-specialty services and developing the curriculum for the post graduate courses, Ray added.
Earlier this month, a team of consultant firm HITES (HLL Infra Tech Services Ltd) had inspected existing infrastructure of few departments of IGH. The team examined possibility of introducing super special treatment facilities along with post-graduate learning at departments of neurology, pulmonary medicines and burn care. The visit of HITES team came in the backdrop of the visit of a team of senior medical experts of the Union Government in June following direction of the PMO.
Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram, who is instrumental in expediting the pending project, said Principal Secretary to the PMO is monitoring it and expressed satisfaction at the present pace of progress. He said after being developed into SSHMC, the IGH would ensure advanced healthcare to people of Rourkela, Sundargarh district and beyond. SAIL and the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) would run the medical college jointly.
The PM had announced the project in April 2015. Under fire for no progress, SAIL in August last year had opened a super speciality clinic in disciplines of cardiology, oncology, neurology and nephrology to run on monthly scheduled dates with assistance of Apollo Hospitals, Hyderabad.
HOSPITAL AID
● Super speciality treatment services would be introduced in four departments and later three more departments would be covered.
● SAIL and the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) would run the medical college jointly.
● Former Congress MLA Pravat Mohapatra welcomed the development, but added that there is no cheer for poor patients as treatment is free for RSP employees while the others are charged at par with private hospitals.
Survey finds health care in trauma in Kalahandi and Balangir districts
Following is a report from the Telegraph
Bhubaneswar, Aug. 12: Another case of dengue death was today reported from the SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack, while swine flu has already claimed nine lives in the state this year.
When the state is facing multiple health issues, a Bhubaneswar-based organisation, the Centre for Youth and Social Development (CYSD), has conducted a survey on the issue and challenges of primary heath care facilities in the two most backward districts – Kalahanadi and Balangir. The survey reveals how people are still not getting basic health services, including ambulance services.
The study was conducted in Balangir and Patnagarth constituencies of Balangir district and Narla and Junagarh constituencies of Kalahanadi district. The infamous Daana Majhi case that was reported last year, where Daana had to carry the body of his wife for nearly 12 kilometres after being unable to get the ambulance, was reported from Kalahandi district. In these four constituencies, a total of 37 primary health care centres have been selected by the organisation. The study covered primary health care centre, sub centres, villages and communities in these areas.
The expert team interviews 50 per cent of out patient department (OPD) patients visiting each PHC. The patients were selected on the basis of convenience and snowball sampling method. They were asked to share their satisfaction levels and experience at the primary health care centres. Total 370 patients (10 patients from each primary health care centres) were covered. Besides, the grassroots services providers – Accredited Social health Activists (Asha), auxiliary nurse midwives and anganwadi workers were interviewed on implementation of various government schemes.
They find unavailability of buildings as a major problem in imparting health care service to the patients. In absence of adequate and habitable staff quarters, it won’t be possible to put a check on doctor absenteeism and 24X7 primary health care centres won’t function smoothly. The primary health care centres need to be converted into 24X7 centres with in-patient department facilities.
Provision of safe drinking water and power back up (important in case of power failure during emergencies) are also major issues at the primary health care centres. The unavailability of diagnostic services and referral transport is causing a lot of difficulties for the people. While in some instances people are bound to pay higher prices in getting their medical condition resolved, in other cases, many are often showing lack of interest due to lack of money (thus, turning again to traditional healing methods or quacks).
The service providers also showed displeasure in many aspects. The doctors showed discontent regarding unavailability of staff quarters leading to daily commuting to the primary health care centres (few of them which are in remote areas).
Though medicines never run out of the stock and the quality of the medicine is good, the people don’t trust the quality of medicines as they think that government medicines are free and therefore, might be of poor quality. In many cases, doctors allegedly prescribe expensive medicines that patient parties have to buy from outside.
Asha and auxiliary nurse midwives are the health activists in the community who create awareness on health and its social determinants and mobilise the community towards local health planning and increase utilisaton and accountability of the existing health services. But these service providers face various issues at the ground level, such as communication problem, excessive field area and too much workload.
The survey report also alleges that the Asha workers are losing interest and motivation to carry out their regular duties as they are not getting incentives at the right time. Some of them also remained absent on the MAMATA Divas which is held on the second Friday of every month. Due to this continuous absenteeism, the beneficiaries have started losing trust on Asha workers.
Another major issue is lack of ambulance facilities and the people depend on their own bikes and bicycle, to reach to hospitals. Lack of ambulance facilities often turn out to be fatal for pregnant women. The status of 102 and 108 ambulance services is in highly deteriorated condition and people have been grossly disappointed.
CYSD co-founder Jagadananad said: “The study is an attempt to understand the nuances of the primary health care services provided at the grassroots and to gather the perceptions of the community regarding the services like access to health, infrastructure, human resources.”
Delivery in auto-rickshaw
A woman of Sunakhandi Tikarpada village in Kalyansighpur block of Rayagada district delivered a baby in an auto-rickshaw on her way to the hospital on Saturday. Her family members alleged that though they called the 102 ambulance service to rush her to Kalyansinghpur Community Health Centre after she complained of labour pain, the ambulance did not turn up.
Dr. Lalit Kumar Meher appointed first dean of Balangir Medical College
Following is a report from OTV:
Bolangir: After a wait of 18 years, the dream of the people of Bolangir to have a medical college in the district will soon become a reality. The project, proposed after formation of the Western Odisha Development Council (WODC), is all set to see the light of day with the college building nearing completion.
Besides, the state government has also appointed new Dean and Superintendent for the medical college.
Dean Lalit Kumar Meher along with a four-member team recently inspected the college infrastructure and facilities available.However, since construction of its independent hospital building has not started yet, the District Headquarters Hospital (DHH) would be used as the hospital for the medical college.
Meher said, “This is a government medical college. So the government has to do everything. Apart from appointing doctors for the institution, the college requires all possible help from all the departments. Everybody has to be involved including the paramedical staff as well as nurses.”
We hope the Medical Council of India (MCI) grants permission to start admissions next year, said Meher.
“The Odisha government should by far start the admission process in 2018. The Dean and four other officials including Superintendent have already been recruited. Other faculty members would also be recruited in the next phase,” said Local MLA and Opposition leader Narsingha Mishra
Central team visits Ispat General Hospital
By Express News Service | Published: 16th June 2017 05:41 AM |
ROURKELA: With the proposal for upgrading Ispat General Hospital (IGH) into a Super Speciality Hospital and Medical College (SSHMC) hanging fire, a Central team on Thursday reviewed the infrastructure and facilities in IGH before submission of feasibility report.
The team, led by Special Director General of Health Services Dr BD Athani, met senior staff of the hospital.
There has been inordinate delay regarding upgradation even though the project is being monitored by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). The Central team’s visit came on the direction of the PMO. The team included six other senior doctors from Union Ministry of Health, All India Institute of Medical Science and RML Hospital, but none from PMO.
Athani told mediapersons that they reviewed the infrastructure and facilities of IGH and would submit a feasibility report. Before becoming Prime Minister, Narendra Modi had in April 2014 promised the project and on becoming PM, he officially announced it in April 2015.
To take up the issue, Union Tribal Affairs Minister and Sundargarh Lok Sabha Member Jual Oram and Rourkela BJP legislator Dilip Ray on several occasions had met the PM, former and incumbent Union Steel Ministers and SAIL Chairman, but to little avail.
After several meetings it was decided that the Steel and Labour Ministries would jointly implement the project. An angry Ray had also boycotted the visit of then Union Steel Minister Narendra Singh Tomar in June 2016. Recently, Ray in an outburst against Modi Government had said he was feeling ashamed to meet people of his constituency.
BJP’s arch rivals BJD and Congress continue to accuse Modi of cheating people of Rourkela. If sources are to be believed, the hope to kick-start the super speciality hospital part shortly is stuck in technical complexities.
Kidney disease spreading rapidly in western Odisha
Patients being examined at a health camp | Express
SAMBALPUR: As many as 108 patients suffer from Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) in Dakra gram panchayat under Maneswar block of the district. With safe drinking water a luxury for the people in several villages of Western Odisha, the disease has taken roots in more areas of the region.
The Government, it seems, is unprepared to counter the alarming situation in the block. While the Government has miserably failed to supply safe drinking water to the affected pockets, the healthcare system too is in doldrums to face the challenge. The medical college and hospital of the region, VIMSAR at Burla, continues to struggle with large-scale vacancies. Adding to the woes of patients, a senior resident of Medicine department has been managing the Nephrology department in the absence of a Nephrologist.
Moreover, the Government is yet to get a survey done to ascertain the exact cause of rising CKD cases. The kidney disorder, which was confined to a few pockets of Western Odisha, has spread to new areas, posing a bigger challenge to the Health department.
The facts came to the fore during a mega health camp organised jointly by Apollo Hospital and Maneswar block BJD in the GP on Thursday, a month after rising cases of CKD were reported in this paper, ‘Kidney deaths stalk Sambalpur villages’.
From about 200 patients screened at the mega health camp, 108 patients were identified with CKD and nearly 86 others with cardiac problems. Patients were examined by Nephrologist Dr Bibekananda Panda and Cardiologist Dr Byomokesh Dixit.
Dr Panda said the reason behind the spread of kidney ailment can be ascertained after water samples from the GP are chemically analysed for metal content.
Out of 108 patients identified with CKD, 10 need immediate dialysis while the rest need immediate specialised medical attention, he said. The situation is alarming and immediate health intervention is needed, he added. Apart from water, there are numerous other reasons behind the spread of the disease and all cases need to be identified individually and corrective measures taken, Dr Panda added.Earlier, a study by Red Cross in Dakra Gram Panchayat had revealed about death due to CKD in Dhaunrakhaman village under the GP. The survey also found presence of a large number of such cases in the villages of Dakra, Purnapani, Jaduloisingh, Jhariadera, Golabhanga and Aamkuni, all under the GP. The survey had identified 12 patients with CKD in Dakra village alone and three deaths in the last three months due to CKD.
Adding to the woes of patients, the Health Sub-Centre in the GP is closed in the absence of doctors while there are no paramedical staff to conduct tests or create awareness among the villagers.
