Andhracafe.com- Hyderabad: Lack of maintainence, shortage of infrastructure, absence of "humane touch" among doctors, support staff and other such grievances from patients came to the fore when Minister for Medical Education G. Aruna Kumari visited Niloufer Hospital on Thursday.

The Minister, who was on her first visit to the hospital after assuming office, got a first-hand experience of the chaotic conditions prevalent in wards, operation theatres and even the neo-natal wards of the hospital.

Chancing an opportunity, patients poured their hearts out to narrate their anguish to the Minister about the hospital that had been mired in bureaucracy. Every new ward to which the Minister visited had its own set of problems.

"If you have recommendation, your case sheet will be checked and updated regularly. Vials of drugs and injections will appear miraculously from nowhere and duty doctor will be at your beck and call," complained Mohd. Quadar, whose baby daughter is fighting for life with a bout of jaundice.

Parents whose children suffer with life threatening ailments like blood cancer, tuberculosis and advanced stages of jaundice queued up to share their agony. It was not as if only patients were complaining, even the doctors had their own grievances to share with the Minister.

Some of the issues put forward by the doctors include shortage of staff, increasing capacity of beds and strengthening neo-natal wards by way of infrastructure. The Minister gave a patient hearing to one and all.  

Principle Secretary for Health, P.K. Agarwal, Superintendent of Niloufer Hospital A.P. Gyaneshwar and all the staff of the hospital were present in full attendance during the Minister's visit.