‘Heat-stroke’ deaths: 1 dist hosp & 20 other govt facilities catering to 35-lakh Ballia residents
There are around a half-a-dozen nursing homes and private hospitals at the district headquarters but these facilities often don’t take critical patients, said a local doctor.
VARANASI The recent deaths, allegedly due to heat-stroke, in Ballia has raised questions over the health infrastructure of the district.
Battling scorching heat, the district has a 278-bed district hospital and 20 government hospitals, including community health centres (CHCs) with 30 beds each and primary health centres PHCs) with six beds each. These public hospitals cater to the district’s population of about 35 lakhs.
Significantly, all departments of the district hospital have medical experts to attend to the patients. Also, each CHC is equipped with 30 beds to admit and treat the patients. A senior doctor, seeking anonymity, said, “Each CHC has the facility to admit patients and treat them. Usually, physicians attend the patients and treat them at the CHCs.”
Besides, the facility for pregnant women to deliver kids is also available at CHCs. Only the serious patients, after being given first aid, are referred to the district hospital, which is equipped with all facilities and medical specialists to treat critical cases. Similarly, each PHCs has six beds.
Notably, doctors, and nursing staff, along with a pharmacist, are appointed at every government hospital. Doctors attend to all sorts of patients in the OPD and prescribe medicines as per the need. If required, patients with mild symptoms of diarrhoea and other common diseases are admitted to PHCs. Serious cases are referred to the district hospital or any other higher medical centre after providing primary treatment at the PHCs, said the doctor, who is posted at one of CHCs in Ballia.
In all, Ballia has 17 CHCs and three PHCs. Throwing more light on the district’s health infrastructure, chief medical superintendent of the district hospital in Ballia, Dr SK Yadav, said, “The district hospital has 278 beds. It is equipped with all facilities with medical specialists of different diseases. All patients are attended to and are given treatment.”
The patients who are brought in a serious condition are admitted here and the best possible treatment is given to them. In addition, other patients, who need to be admitted, are also treated here, added Dr Yadav.
He said that critical and serious patients from all over the district are brought to the district hospital. However, Dr Yadav accepted that the district hospital often has a heavy load of patients. “Nevertheless, we make sure to attend to and treat every patient. It is our duty,” he further said.
A senior doctor, seeking anonymity, said, “There are around a half-a-dozen nursing homes and private hospitals at the district headquarters but these facilities often don’t take critical patients. They refer such patients to district hospital. So, you may gauge the situation.”
