From ambulances to changing diapers, service comes at a price at children’s hospital

 CHENNAI: There seems to be an invisible fee chart at the Government Hospital for Women and Children in Egmore, where pushing a wheelchair, carrying pregnant woman on a stretcher, and even changing a new-born’s diaper come with a price tag.

Although services at government hospitals are supposed to be free, bribing low-level staff is how many get things done. “A woman staff asked me for Rs 500 to take my daughter inside the operation theatre. She said it is Rs 500 only because it was a normal delivery and it would go up to Rs 800 in case of caesarean,” said Elaya Perumal, who came from Virudhunagar to admit his daughter.

This is applicable to ambulances that pick up pregnant women as well, say the public.
“The man who dropped us at the hospital asked for Rs 500,” lamented Kavitha, who was accompanying her elder sister. “Worse is their attitude. It is as if they do us a favour,” said Rajeshwari, another person who had come to the hospital. “Even for changing the baby’s diaper, they ask Rs 50. They say they do it in spite of their busy schedule,” she said.

Then there is the ‘treat’ after delivery. “After the child is born, they demand money — Rs 800 for boy and Rs 500 if it is a girl,” said Afluddin, who had a baby boy about 15 days ago.
However, according to hospital authorities, they would be able to weed out corruption only if people come forward to file complaints.

“The vigilance team is constantly on patrol. We regularly ask people not to bribe, and also raise the matter with doctors when they come for rounds,” said Shanthi Gunasingh, superintendent of the hospital.
“If they are afraid to talk to us in front of others, they may mention this in the feedback forms we give them,” she added.

But the people this newspaper spoke to said they did not lodge a formal complaint with the authorities or mention it in the feedback forms due to fear of backlash from the staff. In some cases, it was simply a case of ‘let us get it done’. Gunasingh added people should not give bribes and instead report demands for bribes, but they only lament afterwards.

Government acts

The health department cut pension and increment for a year for an auxiliary nurse and two sanitary workers of Pudukottai Government Hospital, for seeking bribes to show newborn children to their families. Express had reported that the nurse will have her pension cut to half for the first year after retiring, while increment has been cut for the other two.