The lack of facilities at Arignar Anna Government Hospital at Aranthangi in Pudukottai district has been a cause of concern for residents of the city and surrounding villages.
Residents of several villages, apart from the Aranthangi municipality and surrounding areas, who come to the hospital for medical care, are put in trouble as they are forced to turn to the Government Medical College Hospital in Pudukottai.
Arantangi GH, which is the second largest hospital in the district, has over 250 beds and receives at least 1,000 outpatients every day.
Councilor P. Rubini claims that despite the government’s announcement of funds allocated for updating hospital infrastructure and developing new facilities, the project has been put on hold.
Residents have urged the authorities to strengthen the infrastructure and staff at the hospital to facilitate access to high-quality treatment. A representation has been made to the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of the hospital requesting immediate appointment of staff including doctors, nurses and paramedical staff; Creation of new facilities, provision of basic facilities like canteen and toilets and bridging the shortage of 108 ambulance services in GH.
“There were two ambulances in the hospital, but at present there is only one. Since this is inadequate, patients are sent to other hospitals for further treatment, who often remain stranded,” said S Anantraj, a resident of LN Puram.
Patients express concern over the situation as the quality of treatment is compromised due to inadequate staffing and infrastructure. Apart from the adequate number of doctors, the hospital also lacks the advanced medical equipment required for the treatment. “The number of beds available is less and there is always a demand for more beds,” he said.
When contacted, the CMO of the hospital, R. Shekhar said that the work of construction of an additional building in the hospital would start soon.