Rajawadi Hospital at Vidyavihar is a convenient for the patients staying in the eastern suburbs i.e. from Mulund to Kurla and Mnakhurd to Chembur. That is why this hospital always has huge crowd. However, the facilities in the hospital lack to treat such a large number of patients. The CT-scan machine in the hospital is not operational since last 4 months and Operation Theater in Trauma Care Center has been closed for several months. Due to the shortage of doctors, employees and security guards; the patients have to stand in queue for hours. More than one and a half thousand patients come to OPD of the hospital every day.
Since last few days, the CT scan machine in the hospital isn’t operational. Patients are sent to Sion or KEM hospitals for CT scan or many patients are asked to do CT scan privately. The CT scan in the government hospital cost only Rs. 1,000 whereas the patient has to pay Rs. 3 to 4 thousand rupees in private hospitals. Meanwhile there is also a shortage of fourth-class employees in the hospital therefore relatives only have to take their patients on wheelchair or a trolley for ECG or X-ray.
Due to the less man power, there is only a single window for the registration of patients who comes to the OPD or to get admitted in the hospital. This makes a big chaos at the registration window. Also, there is a shortage of security personnel in the hospital. Similarly, the numbers of doctors in the outpatient department are very less as compared to the patients. Therefore the patients have to stand in queue for hours. This queue goes beyond the OPD building. Especially the senior citizens and women suffer a lot due to such conditions. Also, patients who have been admitted for surgery are not told precisely when they would be undergoing surgery due to an insufficient number of doctors. So, most of the patients prefer to go to another hospital. Although the main OT is in operational, the OT in the trauma care building has been closed since many days. If this OT will also be operational, it will reduce the stress, said Shivsena sub-divisional head in VidyaviharChandrapalChandelia.
Due to the lack of employees in the blood test department, many patients are given a date after 15 days for blood examination. Therefore, patients are having difficulties getting prompt treatment. Patients with urgent need of blood test then go to private pathology lab. Also, the number of pharmacists is also low in the hospital, so patients have to wait in long queues for taking medicines. From entering to hospital to taking the medicines, the patientshave to wait for very long time for each procedure.
Maharashtra Security Force personnel have been deployed in Municipal Corporation’s KEM, Sion and Nair Hospital. Similarly they are required to be deployed in the Rajawadi hospital too. More than 1,500 patients come to Rajawadi hospital every day for treatment. Due to the insufficient number of employees, the disputes and chaos takes place almost every day in the hospital. As a result doctors and other employees are likely to be assaulted. Shiv Sena’s former Deputy Divisional PrakashVani said that if deployment for security personnel is not possible for corporation then at least security force personnel of Maharashtra must be deployed here.
Dr. Vidya Thakur, Dean, Rajawadi Hospital
The hospital’s CT scan machine is not operational as it is very old now. But the proposal has been sent to the corporation to set up a new machine. Also, a proposal has been sent to the corporation regarding the hiring of doctors, pharmacists, lab technicians and security personnel in the hospital, and the process is underway.
