People from low income groups have problems like pneumonia and diarrhea as the mercury has gone down but people from villages and even bordering India, who come to Gulariya for treatment, have become despondents due to unavailability of doctors at the hospital.[break]
One Sukman Bhujuwa, of Guariya-8 died in the hospital Firday night with relatives claiming that he didn´t receive treatment on time. Similarly, Bir Singh Raule had breathed his last when an office assistant was on duty four days ago.
People complained that doctors don´t stay on duty at night due to cold weather. “We have to go to Nepalgunj and Kohalpur, and Indian towns of Baharaich and Lucknow even for minor ailments like common cold,” rued Krishna Sah, a local.
There is just one doctor at the district hospital although three have been provisioned. The three primary health centers in the district also don´t have doctors.
A policeman deputed for security at the hospital said patients have to go to Nepalgunj and Lucknow as doctors don´t stay put at the hospital. “I had to take my kid brother to Lucknow after doctors didn´t come to attend him even when he started to spew blood with high blood pressure while at the emergency ward,” said Samim Ansari. Ansari claimed the doctors instead of visiting the hospital give treatment instructions to junior staffers on the phone.
Chief District Officer (CDO) Ram Krishna Subedi said the doctors have been instructed to remain on duty and inform the administration office beforehand if they have to go out of the district, but over 150 patients visiting the OPD every day are forced to go elsewhere in the lack of doctors.
Dr Raman Pratap Singh, however, claimed that the doctors have not been negligent and attributed the recent two deaths to severe cold. “The patients died of extreme cold and people have been affected by the cold wave that started a week ago,” Dr Singh said.
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