Rajiv Gandhi General Hospital, A Role Model For Government Hospitals In India

In a world of private hospitals which function with the sole purpose of profit making, Rajiv Gandhi government hospital has yet again proved that all the good-hearted doctors who are providing support to poor people are in the government hospitals.

Recently, Health and Family Welfare Minister Ma. Subramanian shared a video in his twitter page, which captured the event of a social activist helping an old man with myiasis infection by admitting him in the Rajiv Gandhi government hospital.

Ma. Subramanian's tweet said this, "A mentally disturbed old person named Shambu from Uttar Pradesh was found lying unattended in myiasis condition near Chennai Central Railway Station. Coming to know about his condition, government doctors in Rajiv Gandhi hospital are providing care and treatment to him. The doctors' service and compassion are admirable."

The information of Rajiv Gandhi hospital offering helping hands to many such destitute persons came to light after this incident. For destitute persons, a separate ward called Rehabilitation Ward with 50 beds capacity is functioning in the hospital. Doctors and nurses are treating the patients in the ward on a shift basis.

Theranirajan, Dean of the Rajiv Gandhi General Hospital said, "Nowhere such a Rehabilitation ward can be found in India, other than the Rajiv Gandhi hospital. All necessary assistance has been provided by Minister Ma. Subramanian and CM Stalin. In the ward, the destitute persons were provided with food, clothing and shelter. People who are accommodated in the ward include patients left behind by relatives, patients with no family, patients with no home to return to, helpless people wandering on roads admitted by social activists etc."

He continued, "Recently a social activist admitted a 70 years old man with myiasis infection around 10.30 pm. Our doctors started the treatment for the old person almost immediately, he was bathed and attended by ENT specialists. To treat his infected eye, he was admitted to the Emergency department. Slowly he improved to the condition of consuming food on his own and he informed us that he is from Gorakhpur."

Currently, more than 20 patients are getting treatment including free food with milk and egg thrice a day and physiotherapy for old people twice a day. Old people are helped by the nurses for completing day to day activities like bathing, changing dress, eating food etc. Out of the total 430 persons admitted so far in the Rehabilitation ward, 137 were treated and reunited with their family.

An old man in the ward said, "I got admitted to the ward since I have no relatives to take care of me. Because of my non-functional legs, I cannot sit or walk like any other person. Nurses in the hospital have been taking good care of me for more than a year."

Kumar, another old person from Athipatti village said, "There is no chance for my relatives to come and take care of me, I have no trust in them. But the hospital is providing quality and nutritious meals such as gram porridge, milk, eggs, fruits, tiffin items etc."

An old woman in the ward said, "Without progeny, my husband and I were living in a small house in Pallikaranai. On account of old age, paying rent became impossible and we decided to come to the rehabilitation ward where food and accommodation was given free of cost."

Each and every story makes our hearts bleed with sadness. Stories of patients with no family make us feel compassionate but stories of patients with no one to take care of them despite having a family make us lose hope in humanity.

A nurse working in the ward said, "I am working in this ward for 3 years, which was initially a surgical septic ward, later transformed into Corona ward. During the 2nd wave of Corona, Dean came to know about the destitute people who lost their family when he went for his usual rounds. Then he got proper approval from the authorities to transform the Corona ward into a Rehabilitation ward. 6 nurses were appointed to this ward and since then we have been working here."

More humane activities such as the Rehabilitation ward of Rajiv Gandhi hospital should be encouraged. Rajiv Gandhi government hospital showed us that humanity is not yet lost.