Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav who also holds the health department portfolio made a surprise inspection of Vaishali Sadar Hospital located in Hajipur at midnight between 1 a.m. to 2 a.m. and expressed disappointment over doctors and staff missing from the duty. He was clad in black jacket and surgical mask so people could not identify him.
During the inspection, he found that the security guards of the hospital were sleeping and the doctors were not present in adequate numbers. He also found dirt scattered in the corridor. He expressed displeasure over the hospital arrangements. He checked the roaster book where attendance is made by the staff. After half an hour of his arrival, Deputy Civil Surgeon (DSC) Hari Prasad reached the hospital and briefed him about the present condition of the hospital.
The medicine counter was also closed during this period. He inspected each ward and took feedback from the patients regarding the arrangements. After seeing the mismanagement, he warned the employees, guards and doctors. Mr. Yadav also asked the DSC the reason for shortage of doctors to which he could not give a satisfactory reply.
He also inspected the emergency ward and OTs (Operation Theatres) along with the new buildings being constructed near the Sadar Hospital.
Mr. Yadav explained the reason for his surprise inspection stressing that the ground reality can only be visible when one visits the ground.
“To know ground reality, I am visiting the ground. We make policies and spend a lot of money and I have come to see whether the money is being properly used or not. People are getting the benefit from the policies or not. You won’t know the ground reality unless you go and see things at the ground level,” Mr. Yadav said.
He further stressed that it was his duty to ensure that the work being done by the government to serve the public is carried out honestly. He pointed out that many things have improved, however, it was also necessary to find out the shortcomings and correct them.
Mr. Yadav emphasised that the whole purpose is to lessen the load of Patna because in the case of medical emergencies people rush to the State capital.
“People should get all the facilities and arrangements in the government hospital instead of rushing to Patna. The Sadar Hospital in the district should be able to do the treatment which is available in Patna. If we are providing all the facilities like doctors, equipment, infrastructure in the Sadar Hospitals then what is the need to visit Patna? So, the basic idea is to make people more dependent on the local hospital instead of wasting money in private or any other hospital,” Mr. Yadav said.
This was not the first time he had made a surprise inspection of the government hospital. Time and again he visits at midnight to check the loopholes in the health sector. Last year, he inspected Bihar’s biggest hospital PMCH (Patna Medical College and Hospital).
