Crisis in care: A visit to Civil Hospital reveals grim situation

Visiting a hospital is synonymous with hope. Hope to meet a doctor, voice one’s ailment and begin the journey towards healing. But a visit to the Civil Hospital, Ludhiana, tends to erode such optimism. Here, the ‘messiah of hope’, the doctor, is often unavailable, either burdened due to a long patient queue or administrative responsibilities. Along with the OPD, doctors here are also taking care of admitted patients, conducting post-mortem examinations, performing medical board tasks and attending VVIP duties, besides other work. For the city’s nearly 20 lakh residents, this government hospital located in the heart of the old city remains their primary resource of affordable healthcare.

Once a 100-bed facility, the hospital has been upgraded to 300 beds, but the expansion has not been matched by a proportional increase in number of doctors. The OPD handles approximately 800 patients daily, yet three posts for medicine specialist remain vacant. Dr Amanpreet Kaur, who was once managing the entire medicine OPD single-handedly, is no longer available following her promotion earlier this year. In her absence, two doctors from outstations visit on alternate days to fill the gap.

For patients like Gurpreet Kaur from Shimlapuri, the void is personal. “I was taking medicine from Dr Amanpreet for the past two years. Now she’s not available,” she said.

Meanwhile, a senior citizen, Harbir Kaur, was visibly disappointed on finding the ENT specialist’s chamber closed. A note affixed to the door read: “Doctor will not be available on Monday and Thursday due to operations.” Still hopeful, she opened the door only to be met with emptiness. “I will return on some other day,” she said quietly.

Doctor was not available in the orthopaedic OPD, reason, on Tuesday he is busy in surgery and there is no other doctor to attend the OPD. Long queue slowly diminished into corridors, a visual testimony to public trust in the government healthcare system. But that trust is tested daily due to shortages. Earlier, 20-25 surgeries were performed in the hospital every month but now, the number has decreased as surgeons are called on deputation on a monthly basis as the post of surgeon is also lying vacant.

“I hurt my leg badly after falling due to a slippery area after rain and came to the hospital but the doctor is not available today and I have been asked to come again tomorrow,” said Bhushan, a patient outside the Ortho OPD.

In the Skin, Dental and ENT departments too, there is only one specialist each. Whenever the doctor is on another duty or on leave, patients have to bear the brunt. In the absence of forensic expert, specialists from Surgery, Orthopaedics, ENT, Skin, Ophthalmology and Microbiology, have been forced to step in for post-mortem duties, often sacrificing their outpatient and departmental works.

A hospital’s physical environment can either aid recovery or deepen distress and here, it veers towards the latter. Garbage is strewn openly across corners of the premises, with some areas reeking of urine due to open urination near entrances. With monsoon season on, one can see puddles of water everywhere on the hospital premises. The area for drinking water is there but it has no taps and is engulfed by filth.

Though air conditioners are installed in various wards, they remain switched off. In peak humidity, the stifling air tainted with the smell of sweat and congestion makes it difficult to stand for long.

Senior Medical Officer Harpreet Singh said: “We have been repeatedly writing to the higher authorities about the shortage of doctors but nothing has been done in this regard.”

Between promises made and gaps unfilled, the Civil Hospital continues to operate under pressure where every patient’s visit is a test of patience and every delay a reminder of systemic neglect.

What Health Minister says

“We’ve made the ICU operational and are actively working to fill staffing gaps at the hospital,” said Health Minister Dr Balbir Singh. “To strengthen de-addiction services across the state, we’ve announced the inclusion of private psychiatrists in government-run centres — a move aimed at easing patient burden and improving care for those struggling with substance abuse. Efforts are going on and new recruitments will be made,” he said.

Ludhiana