SCCL main hospital in Kothagudem sans facilities

​Kothagudem: Though the Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) is allotting more funds for the welfare of its workers, the facilities at the main hospital, located near the corporate office, are very meagre and without sufficient staff.

The SCCL management has taken many steps for increasing coal production, transportation and achieved many targets and award. But it seems that they have not taken any keen interest on the hospital which treats the workers.

Workers and their families from about six areas of Singareni will visit the hospital for their ailments.
The main hospital building is not in good condition along with other problems like lack of facilities, no sufficient staff, no doctors and not taking proper care of the patients.

There is no sanitation in hospital rooms, broken beds, torn bed sheets and mattresses, leaking air-conditioners, broken switch boards and wires. The buckets and mugs in wash rooms are also broken and the sanitation staff never bothers to change the items, a few patients alleged.

The workers wondered if the hospital in Kothagudem, near to the residences of Directors and General Managers, is like this, what about other areas hospitals, located in Singareni areas. A patient undergoing treatment in the hospital complained about insufficient doctors and staff in the hospital. The SCCL management is not providing medical services to the workers, who toil their sweat in the coal mines. The Corporation had created records in coal production and transportation but forgot the workers’ welfare, he criticised.

P Ganga Ram from Sri Ramapur-1 said that he was injured on duty and was shifted from Sri Rampur hospital to this hospital for better treatment. Pointing out that the doctors have been giving tablets only to him till date and didn’t take up any tests, he worried about his health.

AITUC central committee member Vanga Venkat said the posts of cardiologist, neurologist, and other specialists’ posts are vacanct for a long time. Despite several representations by the union in the past, the corporate officials are not responding and filling up the vacancies, he said.

Venkat said 80 posts are vacanct in the main hospital. 30 vacancies of staff nurses, five lab technicians, 25 ward boys, 10 ayahs, two ECG assistants, three blood bank technicians and three ventilator posts are vacant for a long time.

He appealed the Company management to fill vacancies in the hospital and to take steps to provide better facilities to the patients in the hospital. The Chief Medical Officer of the main hospital, Dr Srinivas Rao said that they will fill the vacancies soon and assured of providing better services to the employees and workers.