Govt. hospitals get a makeover for better patient care

Lending an ear to the needs of the patients, major government hospitals in the city have spruced up amenities such as battery cars, spacious waiting sheds and water heaters

With better infrastructure, government hospitals in Chennai have changed like never before. Making the hospitals patient-friendly is gaining priority among major hospitals, with institutions lending an ear to the needs of patients and adding amenities such as battery cars, spacious waiting sheds and water heaters in wards.

The ambience in government hospitals has undergone a sea change over the years. The challenges of managing the huge flow of patients and visitors are manifold — maintaining sanitation, providing a patient-friendly ambience, availability of basic amenities, reducing waiting time, prompt care and so on. Nevertheless, a number of steps have been taken to ensure patient comfort.

Based on public requests, the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH) has made MRI services available round-the-clock. “MRI services were available from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. We had requests from the public to extend the service so that the need to wait can be done away with. Following this, we posted a technician and the service is available from 11 p.m. to 8 a.m. as well. We receive at least four or five patients, mainly with neurological conditions such as stroke and seizures, during this time,” E. Theranirajan, hospital dean, said.

Earlier, following requests from patients, the hospital had installed water heaters and set up pantries on all floors. Racks were put in place for their belongings to be kept. “To address complaints of insects and cockroaches, we are hiring pest control services and spending ₹45,000 every month,” he said.

Signages were put up at various points, while two sheds to provide a waiting place for visitors are being set up. “Twenty-five new lifts have been approved and ₹7.5 crore allotted. We are replacing the damaged lifts,” he said.

At the Tamil Nadu Government Multi Super Speciality Hospital (TNGMSSH), Omandurar Estate, an advanced maternal screening scheme was rolled out two months ago. This first trimester screening comprised an ultrasound scan and blood tests for genetic markers and costs ₹1,000. It was aimed at providing risk assessment for pregnant women, V. Anand Kumar, nodal officer at the hospital, said. Another recent initiative taken by the hospital was adding two more battery-operated cars for elderly patients. With this, the hospital has four battery cars. “Elderly patients find it difficult to walk. This is very helpful especially when patients coming to the outpatient departments are referred to the “B” block of the hospital,” he said.

The hospital receives nearly 1,000 outpatients a day while the in-patient flow has increased 1.5 times when compared to pre-COVID times, he said. “Before COVID-19, we had 260 to 280 in-patients. Now, it has increased to more than 400. Individual departments are getting increased inflow of outpatients, while referrals has also increased,” he added.