BUILT FOR ADVANCED EYE CARE, RS. 5.5-CRORE FEROZEPUR EYE HOSPITAL GRAPPLES WITH POOR UPKEEP, SPECIALIST SHORTAGE

Vikram Ditya Sharma/Ferozepur

 Constructed at a cost of Rs. 5.5 crore with the objective of providing advanced ophthalmic care, the eye hospital set up on the premises of the Civil Hospital is itself battling neglect, with damaged infrastructure, inadequate basic facilities and a shortage of super-specialist doctors leaving patients to seek treatment elsewhere.

The three-storey building, inaugurated in 2014 during the SAD-BJP regime, now presents a picture of neglect. Several windows in the building have been damaged, while doors, fans and other equipment have been stolen. Windows in patient wards are also in poor condition, exposing patients to dust and direct sunlight.

The registration room on the ground floor has been converted into a store, while there is no proper drinking water facility for patients and their attendants in the building. The washrooms, too, are in a poor state. In one of the washrooms attached to a patient ward, even the door is missing and a curtain has been put up as a makeshift arrangement, causing inconvenience to patients, particularly women and the elderly.

The lack of super-specialist services has added to the patients’ problems. Sheela Rani, a city resident who visited the hospital for an eye examination, said doctors had detected serious complications in her eyes, which they suspected were linked to diabetes, and advised her to undergo further evaluation at Guru Gobind Singh Government Medical College, Faridkot. “Now either I will have to go to Faridkot or I will have to approach a private hospital for further treatment,” she said.

Purshottam, another city resident, said his mother had been admitted to the hospital for cataract surgery. “After the operation, the room where my mother has been admitted has no proper windows. Dust from outside enters the room directly, which can pose a serious risk to a patient recovering from eye surgery,” he said.

Civil Hospital eye specialist Dr Dixit Singla said routine eye examinations and cataract surgeries were being performed at the facility. However, he said the hospital lacked specialists required for super-speciality treatment. He said incidents of theft of fans and other equipment had also been reported and complaints had been lodged with the authorities on several occasions.

Another eye specialist, Dr Asmita Bajaj, said the hospital did not have specialists in corneal transplantation and retinal diseases. “Patients requiring such treatment are referred to Government Medical College, Faridkot, or PGIMER, Chandigarh,” she said.

“It is a matter of concern that in recent times no specialist doctor has stayed here for a long period. Even doctors appointed here have managed to get themselves transferred on one pretext or another. The government must look into the reasons and appoint permanent specialists here,” said Naveen Sharma, President of Anti Crime Anti Drug Wing Welfare Society (India).