Treatment At Patiala Hospital An Ordeal For Cancer Patients

The Punjab Government claims to be spending crores on the treatment of needy cancer patients throughout the state. Such claims fall flat in the face of the ground reality.

Cancer patients and their attendants at the Government Rajindra Hospital here are being made to slog for days just for getting their routine injections and medicines on one pretext or another.

Despite their best efforts, there is no guarantee whether they would be given free medicines, because of which, many patients are compelled to purchase all medicines with money from their own pockets.

Speaking to The Tribune, a resident of Kheri Barna village near Dakala, whose wife is suffering from breast cancer and is a registered patient at the hospital, said after waiting for medicines from the hospital for more than 10 days, he purchased all injections from chemist shops outside for the medical treatment to start.

He said that despite visiting the office of the Medical Superintendent and doctors concerned several times, his wife’s file has not yet been approved for free treatment under the Chief Minister’s Cancer Relief Scheme. He could not get any free medicines for his wife from the hospital.
He further stated that when he spoke to one of the doctors about it, he said he could go to Amritsar or Faridkot for treatment. But since he could not afford to take her that far, he somehow managed to collect money and purchased injections from chemist shops outside. Finally, the treatment started. Now, he has been asked to visit the hospital with the second kit after a few days.

Patients coming from far-off places like Patran and Sangrur often have to visit the hospital just to get medicines that cost hardly Rs 3 per tablet, but since these are not available in the market, they are not left with any option but to spend manifold on travelling.

And they get the medicines for 10 days at a time. After that, the tedious procedure for issuance of medicines has to be undergone all over again.

A retired employee of the hospital, whose sister is suffering from breast cancer and is, getting her treatment done here, said the procedure for getting medicines sanctioned was very complex and caused extreme inconvenience to patients.

She said that Tamoxifen is prescribed for treatment of breast cancer and most of the times; this medicine is not even available in the market. She visited almost all the chemist shops in Patiala and found a substitute for it so that the treatment could be continued. People come here from remote villages and these medicines are not available in towns near their place of residence. They come here all the way only to be disappointed.

An 86-year-old man from Patran said this was his third visit to the hospital for medicines and the hospital staff had asked him to come there again since the Medical Superintendent was not available for sanctioning medicines.

Sources said the Medical Superintendent was the only sanctioning authority for medicines and without his signatures; the medicines could not be supplied.

He added that the Medical Superintendent is busy in the Out Patient Department and operation theatre on four working days out of five in the week. Hence, the patients are left with no choice but to return without medicines in case they visit the hospital on other days. Nobody else has been given the additional charge to enable needy patients to receive medicines,

He added that the Head of the Pathology Department Dr MS Bal said the department was only concerned with the investigations and prescribing medicines. He has nothing to do as far as issuing medicines is concerned as it is done by senior authorities,

Meanwhile, Medical Superintendent of the hospital Dr VK Sharda refuted all allegations, saying the hospital currently has 150 to 200 registered cancer patients and they are being issued medicines and injections on a timely basis.