Although a surprise visit by the Upa Lokayukta to Victoria Hospital in April revealed shocking shortcomings, these problems still persist.
Story so far: The government-run facility is experiencing problems such as irregularities in pharmacies, shortage of staff, and other such issues. While hospital authorities have requested the health department for fresh appointments, no new recruitments have been made. Dr Ramesh Krishna K, the Medical Superintendent at the hospital submitted a report to the Lokayukta post the surprise inspection stating that more manpower is required as there is an increase in patient inflow.
- Pharmacists at the hospital claim they are being overburdened as around 1,000 patients visit the hospital daily.
- An administrative official reported that while the hospital is adding more beds, wards, and OPDs, it has only 322 nursing staff which is affecting the quality of care.
Budget constraints: An official from the hospital stated that one of the biggest reasons for freezing hiring was a severe budget constraint. The current staff was allotted 25 years ago and has not been revised since.
- The Director-cum-Dean of BMCRI, Dr Ravi K said that although the health department was informed of the staff shortage in the hospital in April, no action was taken.