Chennai Hospitals: Bribery, Shortages Plague Care

Chennai's government hospitals are grappling with significant infrastructural shortfalls, poor equipment maintenance, and a lack of basic amenities, as noted by the Chief Minister's Office. Key deficiencies in sanitation, drinking water, and patient care have been identified across major facilities. Staffing gaps at hospitals like the Tamil Nadu Government Multi Super Speciality Hospital and Government Royapettah Hospital are causing extended waiting periods for cardiac patients and overworking existing staff.

Equipment shortages and poor maintenance further exacerbate patient care issues. For instance, limited MRI machines at Government Kilpauk Medical College Hospital and non-functional X-ray machines at Government Royapettah Hospital lead to delays and necessitate patient transfers. Hospitals like RSRM Lying-in Hospital face challenges with scanning facilities for pregnant women.

Widespread allegations of bribery have surfaced, with outsourced staff at the Institute of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and hospital personnel at KMC demanding money from patients for various services, including gender-based demands for newborns. Similar bribery issues are reported at GRH, RSRM, and SMCH, affecting scan centers, laboratories, and mortuaries.

Recommendations to address these issues include establishing low-cost canteens, allotting space for food outlets run by self-help groups, and improving medicine distribution systems. The health department has instructed directorates to appoint nodal officers to rectify these shortcomings promptly.