A Visit To a Hospital
I saw a horrible time last week. I alone had to admit my grandmother to a nearby hospital as she collapsed in her room. I phoned and requested for an ambulance to the authorities of Shri Bala General Hospital to take my grandma to the hospital instantly. Until then I also phoned my parents who were at work. Within couple of hours, they came rushing to the hospital.
My grandma had a severe pain in the heart. It seems she suffered a heart attack. Within minutes, the ambulance arrived and took her to the hospital. Without wasting any time, she was shifted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). I came to know that patients who were facing great danger to their life were admitted in ICU or ICCU. She was under constant observation of the doctors. Her heartbeats, pressure and many other things were continuously monitored on different machines. She was given certain medicines that immediately let her to sleep.
She was under constant observation in the ICU for five days. On the fifth day, her heartbeats became normal. The main reason for the heart attack was her high blood pressure that she suffered since long. She was advised to bring her blood pressure under control. The doctors warned us that she should be avoided from getting another heart attack, which might prove fatal.
On the third day, I decided to visit the entire hospital. I saw many wards where patients suffering various illnesses and diseases were lying in bed. Most of them were asleep or half-asleep. Foul smell came out of the toilet that was at the corner of the corridor. The surroundings of the nearby wards were unclean and filthy. Moreover, people care in and went out of the hospital without any time restriction.
There were many departments like the dental department, pediatric department, x-ray department, orthopedic department, etc. All these departments were under the control of many specialist doctors and technicians. I also saw a ward filled with patients suffering from diabetes. There was an emergency ward where people involved in accident cases were admitted for immediate treatment. Nurses in each ward frequently checked the patients and monitored their progress. Doctors visited from ward to ward during their regular rounds.
There was a casualty department where patients who had small health complaints consulted the doctors. The doctors prescribed medicines and they got them from the hospital chemist. In the Outdoor Patient Department, there was a long queue of people, mostly lower-middle class and poor. Such departments of the hospitals are really of great help to people who cannot afford medical expenses. There was also a laboratory for checking the blood samples of the patients.
However, I found that though hospital gave a great service to the public, it failed in giving importance to the aspect of cleanliness in the wards and their surroundings areas.
