RML Hospital reels under shortage of drugs, poor patients hit

New Delhi: The government-run Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital (RML), once known for its affordable healthcare services in the city has now become a nightmare for the patients, charging high rates like any other private hospital due to the shortage of necessary medicines and precautionary kits. 

The sudden change has hit the poor patients forcing them to buy medicines from outside the hospital at high prices. Patients from any financial background who comes to the hospital seeking affordable healthcare are now struggling to get basic treatments.

In fact, surgeries have been also postponed due to a lack of essential equipment required to perform the surgeries. There are many patients who need immediate surgeries and are now on the waiting list.

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Doctors at the hospital are asking patients' attendants to buy the necessary items for the surgery and it gets postponed or cancelled if the family members fail to provide them.

Moreover, the hospital's trauma section is no exception. The store in the hospital has no bandages, gauge cloth, antiseptic ointments or anaesthetics to treat emergency patients. To save their patients, family members are forced to buy items from outside the hospital.

Due to a lack of necessary items, all departments of the hospital have hung non-availability lists of the items outside their wards.

A senior doctor from the orthopaedic surgery wing told TNIE "Just a few days ago, we had to postpone a surgery because sutures and plasters were not available and the attendants couldn't arrange them on their own."

55-year-old patient Ram Dayal said "I had to purchase drugs, ointments and bandages for my nephew who was hit by a bike and suffered deep cuts on his forehead and arms. The situation was worse when the hospital asked me to arrange other essential medicines. The hospital did not even have Soframycin which is stashed in many households as part of first aid.

"I was appalled with the situation. If I had to arrange everything myself, then why the government claims that treatment is free of cost at public hospitals?" he questioned with disgust in his tone.

"It is irresponsibility by a top Central hospital. The lack of universal precaution kits has delayed surgeries since it's too dangerous to do procedures without them. The chances of spreading HIV infection increases without it," a senior surgeon said.

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