Raids in Bokaro hospitals expose lapses

Bokaro: Raids conducted by a team of the state health department jointly with local officers in around half a dozen nursing homes and diagnostic centre in the district on Tuesday exposed sheer violation of norms under the Clinical Establishment Act. The team, headed by nodal officer Dr Rahul Singh, found majority of the nursing homes are filthy, lack fire safety mechanisms and are congested.

The nursing homes that were inspected are Naraini Hospital, Sewa Sadan and Kumar Diagnostic in Cooperative Colony, besides Raj Nursing Home and Vrindavan Nursing Home in City Centre area of the town. Naraini Hospital was found running without a registration under the Clinical Establishment Act and was too filthy. “We will recommend for its closure,” said Singh.

Singh said, “We are surprised to see Kumar Diagnostic Centre having an X-Ray machine and an ultrasound machine operational in the same room with no radiation safety. The wards in Vrindavan Nursing Home were in a poor condition. There was seepage from the roof in a room. Sewa Sadan Nursing Home is admitting patients under Ayushman scheme but is keeping them in the dark about the treatment charges and the wards are unhygienic and have excessive beds.”

The team will recommend action against the erring hospitals to Bokaro DC Kripanand Jha. District epidemiologist Pawan Kumar Srivastava, who was part of the team, said, “Almost all the nursing homes lacks fire safety and waste management measures. Patients are having a harrowing time.” He also said the fire extinguishers in Vrindavan Nursing Home expired in 2016. “The raids will continue,” he said.