Tanda medical college grapples with shortage of beds, patients suffer

The only super-specialist government hospital in the lower Himachal region, Tanda medical college, is grappling with a shortage of beds. The patient footfall in the hospital has increased manifold and its administration is forced to accommodate two or three patients on one bed.

Sources said that 866 beds were sanctioned for the medical college but it had 1,050 beds keeping in view the rising number of patients. However, even these beds were proving to be inadequate.

They added that on an average, around 1,200 patients were admitted to the hospital and as a result, the hospital administration had to accommodate more than one patient on one bed.

Doctors serving in the hospital said that patients requiring critical care, especially those referred by other government hospitals, and post-surgery patients were admitted to the facility. “Patients are discharged from the hospital at the earliest to vacate beds, but the situation is not improving,” they added.

They admitted that the workload on the college had increased after the state government stalled the HIMCARE scheme in private hospitals. Now, patients, who could not afford treatment in private hospitals, were coming to Tanda medical college, they added.

The doctors said that keeping in view the patient load, the government should sanction more beds for the hospital, besides increasing the number of support staff required to maintain the services. A 200-bed mother and child hospital was set up in the medical college with Rs 40-crore provided by the Union Government. Though the construction of the hospital building was completed about two years ago, it had not been made functional. The Fire Department had withheld the required NOC to the hospital as a ramp and an overhead water tank for fire safety had not been constructed in the building.

The sources said that when the mother and child hospital becomes functional, it would ease the workload of the main facility. Despite repeated efforts, Tanda medical college Principal Dr Milap Sharma was not available for his comments.

Manifold rise in patient footfall

• Patient footfall in Tanda medical college has increased manifold and the hospital administration is forced to accommodate two to three patients on one bed
• Doctors serving in the hospital say that patients requiring critical care, especially those referred by other government hospitals, and post-surgery patients are admitted to the facility
• Patients are discharged from the hospital at the earliest to vacate beds
• Keeping in view the patient load, the government should sanction more beds for the hospital, besides increasing the number of support staff, say doctors