Six govt hospital staff members issued memos for negligence

Nagarkurnool: A major incident of medical negligence occurred at the Nagarkurnool District Government General Hospital on Tuesday morning when duty doctors were absent, causing patients to suffer for over an hour. Following a report published in The Hans India website on the day titled ‘Patients in severe distress due to absence of doctors on duty,’ hospital authorities took action.

District Hospital Superintendent Dr Raghu responded to the issue, expressing regret over the disruption of services. He announced that memos had been issued to the duty doctor and five nursing staff members who were negligent during that time. Additionally, a full-fledged inquiry has been ordered into the incident.

According to the report, patients with critical conditions—one suffering from chest pain, another with kidney problems, one with severe stomach pain, and a child with an ear infection—arrived at the hospital’s emergency department. However, due to the absence of doctors in the casualty ward, they were left waiting for 30 minutes to an hour without proper medical attention. Only one nurse was present to assist, while another nurse was reportedly asleep even after 7 am, highlighting serious mismanagement in hospital operations.

Attempts to contact the hospital superintendent for clarification went unanswered. Every day, hundreds of patients from Kalwakurthy, Achampet, Kollapur, and Nallamala agency areas visit the district hospital. However, the lack of proper medical services continues to cause severe hardships.

Following the report on The Hans India’s website, the superintendent took swift action. He assured that such negligence would not be tolerated in the future.