Let child patients’ kin stay at Telangana government​ hospitals: PIL

HYDERABAD:A division bench of the High Court has issued notices to the Telangana government authorities concerned and hospital superintendents, asking them to file detailed counter affidavits in a taken-up PIL complaining that hospital authorities are not allowing parents of child patients and their attendants from other villages and districts to stay at the hospitals during treatment.

The bench, comprising acting chief justice Ramesh Ranganathan and justice K Vijaya Lakshmi, has passed this order recently following a letter addressed to the chief justice by city advocate Rapolu Bhaskar seeking directions to the authorities of Niloufer and Gandhi hospitals to provide adequate facilities to the parents and attendants of  patients admitted for treatment.

The advocate, in his letter, stated that the parents and attendants of patients, particularly the poor and economically backward people, are forced to stay outside the hospital premises since the hospital authorities refuse to allow any one attendant to be with the patient. Thousands of people from across the state visit the government hospitals,  Gandhi and Niloufer in particular, in the city and also those in Warangal, Nalgonda, Karimnagar and Mahbubnagar districts and, after admission of their parents or children for treatment, the family members and attendants are forced to spend their day and night in the open. He sought directions to the state government and hospitals’ authorities to provide basic facilities to the attendants of patients at all government hospitals.

The bench treated the letter as a PIL case and issued notices to the respondents — principal secretary to medical and health, commissioner of health and family welfare, director of health, superintendents of Gandhi and Niloufer hospitals.

Niloufer doctors irked by frequent police notices

Hyderabad: “Troubled” with frequent notices from police, Niloufer Hospital doctors gathered at the hospital superintendent’s chamber on Thursday morning, declaring they would not be able to work under such pressure. This came as a reaction to an investigation by the Nampally police into the death of 11-month-old Sahil Gowtam who underwent a circumcision at the hospital on Saturday. The infant’s family has alleged medical negligence on part of the hospital and shortage of nurses.