Governor warns hospital

Posted by barunroy on January 10, 2008

Gangtok, Jan. 9: Sikkim governor Sudarshan Agarwal today issued a stern warning to the authorities of Sir Thutob Namgyal Memorial Hospital (STNM) for their failure to properly maintain the facility.
“I am very unhappy. Don’t let things slip out of hand,” the governor told hospital superintendent R.L. Sharma just before he concluded a two-hour tour of the entire facility.
Agarwal was apparently peeved by the condition of the road connecting the state hospital to the national highway. “Are there no engineers with STNM?” he asked. When told that the hospital has an engineering cell, the governor wanted to know what it was doing about the road.
Agarwal also expressed his disappointment over the lack of cleanliness and hygiene in the hospital complex. In fact, from the expiry dates of medicines to the absence of western-style flush toilets for patients, little escaped his notice.
The governor started his tour from the main wing of the hospital located above the national highway (some sections of the hospital are below it). He was particularly concerned about the shortage of instruments in the blood blank and asked the superintendent to forward him the letter in which STNM had demanded some more instruments. “I will take it up with the health secretary,” he said.
Agarwal also made it a point to visit the X-ray and CT scan units, as well as the OPD. The absence of the sole radiologist at the hospital, who had taken a leave today, prompted the governor to say: “If things can run in his absence, why have a radiologist at all.”
The medicine outlet before the OPD received a careful inspection from the governor who also checked the expiry dates of several medicines.
While visiting the orthopaedic ward, Agarwal commented on the absence of western style flush toilets for patients.
The hospital superintendent later told that he had written to the health department for repairs. “We will look into the other suggestions,” he said.

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