Patient rush peaks in Hospitals:Over 50% doctors on leave at AIIMS, JP, and Hamidia amid surge

As temperatures rise in the city, the impact of seasonal diseases has also increased. In the last 15 days, nearly one lakh patients visited the OPDs of major government hospitals in the capital, AIIMS Bhopal, Hamidia Hospital, and JP Hospital. More than 60% of these patients were suffering from seasonal illnesses like diarrhoea, viral fever, and respiratory infections. Experts say the number may rise further in May–June, but doctor shortages during this period could worsen the situation. The shortage is linked to summer vacations in medical colleges, during which half of the doctors go on leave for one month each. As per the schedule, 50% of doctors are on leave from May 1–31 and the remaining 50% from June 1–30, affecting OPD and surgery services. Hamidia Hospital has around 400 doctors, with 200 on leave in May and the rest in June. Similarly, at AIIMS Bhopal, out of about 300 doctors, 150 go on leave in each phase, leaving hospitals to manage with limited staff. Most impact on medicine and respiratory patients During summers, cases of diarrhea, vomiting-diarrhea, viral, and respiratory-related illnesses increase rapidly. In such a situation, the pressure on the Medicine and Respiratory departments will be the highest. Due to the shortage of doctors, these patients may face difficulty in getting timely treatment. Hospital management states that this is an annual process, and a duty roster is prepared in advance for it. Efforts are made to manage the system by increasing the duties of PG doctors. Long queues in OPD The decrease in the number of doctors will have the most impact on the OPD. Patients may have to wait a long time to see a doctor. The situation will be even more challenging in super specialty departments, where one or two doctors will have the responsibility of operations along with OPD. In such a situation, non-essential surgeries may be postponed. Water crisis in Hamidia, patients thirsty, relatives forced to buy water
More than three years have passed since the new high-tech building of Hamidia Hospital, built for ₹728 crore, was constructed, but the water crisis here has not yet been resolved. As a result, in this scorching heat, admitted patients and their relatives are not getting even drinking water. Out of compulsion, people are buying water with money to quench their thirst. The most shocking thing is that in this 11-storey modern building, there is neither an RO water system on every floor nor arrangements for earthen pots. In this period of heat, water is no less than medicine for patients, but here water has become the biggest problem. Conditions worse on upper floors Water supply above the fifth floor of the new building has almost stopped. Relatives of patients admitted on the 10th and 11th floors have to come down to the ground floor to get drinking water. Often, water coolers are also found to be shut down, forcing people to buy bottled water from outside.