Pareekshith Shet
Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (SP)

Udupi, Mar 24: The district government hospital here is in a mess to say the least. It seems to strengthen the notion that government hospitals lack many things and it is impossible to run them properly. The city as such is recognized as an important health hub, but all the advances made in health sector have not brought any improvement in the condition of the district hospital here, which is badly in need of urgent psychiatric treatment.

The district hospital is set for upgradation. Although the board of the hospital was changed as district hospital several years back, it had continued to function as a taluk hospital till recently. After media drew the attention of the concerned repeatedly, minister Pramod Madhwaraj, recently announced it officially as district hospital.

However, the hospital continues to lag behind in many areas. It is surprising that the people's representatives, who have enough time to attend to issues concerning progress of private hospitals, are too busy to improve their own government hospitals. Specifically, the psychiatric ward of this hospital feels like a haunted area. This ward remains locked since the last many years. The cells meant for patients have been turned into godowns. One of these cells has been converted into a dumping place for bio waste. The condition of this ward evokes a sense of frustration.

A number organizations and institutions have donated towards creation of psychiatric ward at this hospital. Because of the apathy of the management of the hospital in particular and that of the government in general, this ward remains locked. This ward has separate wards for men and women with an additional special ward. The beds in this ward have become tattered and the files are gathering dust. Two nurses who were specially allotted to this ward have been deployed elsewhere. This appears to be a part of systematic conspiracy to close down psychiatric ward. Patients who come to the hospital with psychological disorders are being admitted into other wards, which creates problems for other patients.

In a nutshell, the entire hospital appears to be in urgent need of psychiatric treatment. The government maternity hospital had been handed over by the government to private entrepreneurs last year, duly realizing that it has been unable to manage it properly. Now, a fear is gripping the citizens about the possibility of the district hospital too meeting the same fate. The people have urged the government to open psychiatric ward in the district hospital to help patients who come seeking treatment there.