In sickness and in health

by July 23, 2009 Health

Last week I was working on a health-related story that required me to visit several hospitals in the city. They were, as expected, overflowing with sick patients, all thanks to the mosquito menace that Bangalore has been crying about.  

I happened to visit both public and private hospitals. The rich-poor divide is so blatantly clear at these hospitals. At the private hospitals it wasn’t so bad. Waiting rooms were packed, they were clean, and it all looked ok. 

It’s the government hospitals that are a sight. People lying on the floor, spitting in corners, broken chairs, wailing babies. It’s not the best scene.  

And then you enter the Medical Superintendent’s office and it’s another world. Air conditioned room, huge sofa set, freshly made coffee, everything’s perfect. All this, while people outside are waiting long hours to see a doctor.  

How does a Medical Superintendent of a government hospital get this posh and luxurious room to himself while the sick people are left to lie on the floor? 

And a BBMP official complains that most people go to private hospitals instead of government ones because they think they won’t get proper treatment.

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About Vaishnavi Vittal

Vaishnavi Vittal is a Bangalore-based journalist.
Read more by Vaishnavi Vittal

Comments:

  1. Srikanth Parthasarathy says:
    August 1, 2009 at 7:34 am

    When Government Speaks about good Health and Infrastructure, i think they mean it only for themselves and not for the general public. This is no surprise that the Medical Superintendent’s office has all the required facilities. They do not understand that it is the public money and public should benefit from it. Private hospitals will have better facilities for the public but at a higher cost. In fact sickness will grow high as soon as a patient visits a government hospital because of its poor condition. How do we get someone sitting in a AC room to understand all these?

    Reply

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