Operation theatres at Osmania Hospital in pathetic state

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The child attending to an ailing relative was spotted resting amidst patienst who were crammed into a single floor as renovation works are ongoing at Osmania General hospital in Hyderabad. ( EPS | Vinay Madapu)

HYDERABAD: Blood and pus-stained sheets cover the operation tables.  And the sheets are changed only once a day, leaving high chance of cross infection among patients. 

Of the three tables in three rooms of the mini-operation theatre (MOT), all the injured people are operated only on one table. 

After the surgery, the sheet is just wiped with a piece of cloth and the next patient is ready to occupy the table.  A bucket lies beside the operation table overflowing with surgical waste. 

The blood and pus-stained sheets that cover the
operation tables at the mini-operation theatres,
that are changed only once a day, in Osmania
General Hospital in Hyderabad | K Shiva Sanker

Welcome to one of the premier government hospitals in Telangana state, the Osmania General Hospital, the condition of which is an apt indicator of health care.  When Express visited the MOT on Saturday, the reporter was in a for a rude shock. 

An elderly man who was operated upon in the MOT room, got off the table and sat on wheel chair. 

Minutes after he left the room, another woman was brought into the operation room. 

“There is every chance of the patient getting infected.  Instead of getting healed, they will be infected when they leave the hospital,” sources said, adding that surgeons cover the dirty operating tables with green plastic aprons while performing surgeries.  At least 20 surgeries are being performed at the MOT in Osmania General Hospital in a day. 

There is more in store.  The overhead operation light at the MOT has not been functioning for the last least one year.  Chew on this: Surgeries are performed here with the only source of light being a tube light in the room. “ Because of improper and unsuitable lighting conditions,” sources said, “junior doctors at times get confused between muscles and blood vessels.’’ 

There have been instances where blood vessels were cut instead of muscles which had to be fixed immediately. When Express visited the MOT, an old, rusty, dysfunctional operation light was found in a corner of the small room.  However, there are operation lights on two other tables in other rooms of the MOT. 
However, the situation slips into crisis when there is power outage.  Since doctors cannot stop the surgery midway, they use torch lights on multiple occasions to carry out minor operations.  There are no generators connected to the MOT. “ Torch lights were used on many occasions.  In fact, they were also used in emergency operation theatres also,” the sources said. 

Express accessed photos where doctors were found using torch lights during surgeries.  In Operation Theatre-1, an LED bulb and portable light are being used as operation light became dysfunctional six months ago.  Explaining dangerous possibilities in absence of proper lighting, sources said that when they want to operate deep into body parts, it becomes a problem. “ For example, if we cut open abdomen and want to find source of blood loss, we need angular operation lights as it can be manoeuvred the way we want to,” sources added. 

Unsterilised instruments
Surgical equipment in Minor Operation Theatre (MOT) at OGH are not sterilised as the equipment is unavailable.  Shockingly, sources in the hospital said, sometimes surgical equipment is just immersed in hot water, taken out and used on other patient who is rushed into the MOT. 

We have a maximum of six surgical instrument sets.  And in one hour, we attend at least 15 patients.  As per Medical Council of India (MCI) rules, there should be at least 12 such sets.  As more patients come to MOT, more sets are needed.  However, as we have only five sets, often, surgical instruments are washed under tap, kept in boiler having hot water. 

When a new patient is rushed in, we have to take out the instruments,” sources said. They added that ideally an autoclave has to be provided for sterilisation and each assorted surgical instrument set has to be kept in it for at least one-hour.  However, the autoclave is not available in the MOT.