Newborns, mothers languish in corridors of Government Doon Medical Hospital

Dehradun: Barely 48-hours after delivery, mothers and their newborn babies can be seen languishing in the corridors outside wards in the female wing of the Government Doon Medical Colege Hospital (GDMCH) here. The only government facility which conducts both caesarean section and normal deliveries, the hospital today reels under a dearth of beds and infrastructure facilities despite an increasing number of patients visiting it every day.

The obstetrics and gynaecology department sees nearly 30 deliveries every day the hospital can officially have 40 beds. There are also no cribs for the babies who are often accommodated with their mothers.

“After delivering her baby three days ago, my daughter-in-law was made to share a bed with another patient in the ward. Both women could hardly fit in the same bed. There are also no cribs for the newborns. We were forced to shift her to the corridor. It is hardly surprising that the infant mortality rate and maternal mortality rate in the state is one of the highest in the country,” said a 52-year-old woman, who did not wish to be named.

Understanding the risks of infection involved in sharing beds, family members have to either make the new mother sleep on the floor or shift her to a private hospital. It is to be noted that several critical cases arrive at the GDMCH every day from the nearby community health centres and the Combined Hospital in Premnagar.

“The fear of infection looms large here. The area around staircases are filled with dirty water, increasing risk of diseases such as malaria and dengue. We have made several requests to the hospital staff to clean it but little has been done. The situation becomes unbearable, especially after 2 pm when most senior doctors and staff members leave the premises. The sanitation staff turns a deaf ear to our pleas,” said Kavita Kumari, who shifted to the corridor outside the ward with her day-old niece and sister-in-law.

The situation has gone from being bad to worse in the past few months, alleged locals. “The government is not paying heed to the hospital’s lack of infrastructure and facilities. Mothers and newborns are kept in unhygienic conditions in the facility,” said Neeraj Chauhan, a resident of Rispana, whose son was born at the GDMCH on August 24.

The hospital administration, on the other hand, said most families insist on getting babies delivered here even when they are ‘warned’ about the lack of sufficient beds in a bid to get monetary relief through schemes such as Janani Suraksha Yojna.

The chief medical officer of GDMCH, Dr Meenakshi Joshi, said, “The government should expedite processes for smooth functioning of the facility. It is not clear how many beds the hospital should have.”