Women From Himachal Pradesh Protest, Demand Better Medical Facilities

The All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) staged demonstrations on December 10 in Shimla outside the district commissioner’s (DC’s) office, against the deteriorating health facilities for women in government hospitals in Himachal Pradesh.

There are three government hospitals in the state capital – Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC), Rippo Hospital and Kamla Nehru Hospital (KNH). “Firstly, there are almost 4,500 vacancies for the positions of gynaecologists and paramedical staff in the entire state. These should be filled as soon as possible so that the women have access to better medical help,” said Falma Chauhan, general secretary, AIDWA, Himachal Pradesh, during her speech while addressing the throngs of women gathered outside the DC’s office.

Chauhan told Newsclick, “First and foremost, all the vacancies should be filled. Second issue, which is very important, and needs to be highlighted, is with the ambulances. In a state like Himachal Pradesh, and in a town like Shimla, where the terrain is so hilly, ambulance services should be efficient. Cases have come up where the woman has gone into labour, but the ambulance service was stalled, due to which the patient suffers.”

Services like ‘Dial 102’ or ‘Dial 108’ in the state have time and again witnessed mismanagement and corruption. Numerous cases were reported this year when patients had to resort to hailing cabs in the middle of the night. According to patients’ accounts, the 108 helpline either did not respond, or the condition of the ambulance was reported to be ‘not fit’ to ferry patients.

“I have reported two cases myself. One was in Shimla itself when the wife of a local resident went into labour at night, because they stayed far away from the main road, the driver of the ambulance refused to come, and said that they should go to the hospital by themselves. Second incident took place in Kotkhai in Shimla district when a villager had to be rushed to the hospital because of some complications in her pregnancy, but the 108 driver refused to come because the road to her house was in a bad state,” alleged Chauhan.

Kamla Nehru Hospital (KNH), which is the biggest hospital in the state for maternity and paediatric care, reportedly does not have sufficient number of beds or staff. Local residents have time and again reported that as one walks into the general OPD, two to three women are often seen sharing a bed. The hospital also has shortage of important equipment like CT scan and MRI machines.

“There are no radiologists in KNH, and it’s a maternity hospital where scans like ultrasound are required to be conducted almost every day. The patients have to either go to IGMC to get the tests done, or they have to get these done privately. There is no direct bus service to IGMC from KNH. Sometimes, they call the radiologist from IGMC – usually after 20 days. But patients suffer anyway. How many patients can one radiologist look at in a single day?” questioned Chauhan.

Due to several reasons like these, women especially in remote areas are claimed to have shied away from discussing gynaecological problems, which stops them from getting treatment on time.

Chauhan added, “All these problems are forcing people to go to private hospitals. But not everyone can afford that. The condition of women, rather than improving, is deteriorating. The government is failing to provide efficient medical facility to women of the state.”

AIDWA submitted a memorandum to the DC, addressed to the health minister, raising several important demands like filling vacancies, providing KNH with proper technical facilities, improving the functioning of ambulance services, and running a government taxi to the hospital from various localities, so that it becomes easier for women to commute to the hospital.

Read more: HP Health Minister Criticised for Supporting Renaming of Shimla While Healthcare Deteriorates