Lack of basic amenities at major government hospitals in Lucknow amid the enervating heat conditions has compounded the miseries of patients and their attendants visiting there. It has also raised concerns over the condition of public healthcare infrastructure.
At Shyama Prasad Mukherjee (Civil) Hospital, particularly near the old block, several patients and attendants were seen sitting under a tin shed. With temperatures steadily rising, the absence of proper cooling arrangements has left many exposed to intense heat while waiting for treatment. Even ceiling fans in the area were not functioning.
Ram Kishore Yadav, 52, a resident of Barabanki who had brought his wife for treatment, said, “We have been sitting here for nearly three hours. The fan above us is not working and there is no cooler. It becomes unbearable in the afternoon heat.”
Dr Devesh Pandey, chief medical superintendent of Civil Hospital, said the fan at the tin shed will be repaired. He also said the hospital has limited space, with a 24-bed shelter home already operational. “The facility is equipped with fans, coolers, mattresses and bedsheets, and free meals are provided. A team from Gujarat recently visited for expansion plans,” Dr Pandey added.
A similar situation prevails at the King George’s Medical University (KGMU), where shelter homes designated for attendants lack working coolers or ACs. Many people were forced to sit under tin sheds or in open areas near the OPD building while waiting at medicine counters.
Shabnam Bano, 38, from Sitapur who was accompanying her ailing father, said, “We have no option but to sit outside in the sun. There is no proper place to wait and no cooling facility. My father is elderly and it is very tough for him to sit here.”
KGMU spokesperson Prof KK Singh said a 12-storey dedicated shelter home is under construction near the Shatabdi Phase 2 building. “It will accommodate up to 800 patients and attendants at a time. Four floors are already ready with air conditioning and other facilities for round-the-clock stay,” he added.
At Balrampur Hospital, a washroom near the paediatric ward was found locked, while a cooler installed in a shelter home near the emergency building was not functioning. Patients and their attendants were seen resting under tin sheds or in open areas.
Sangeeta Verma, 45, of Alambagh who had come with her child, said, “The washroom near the ward is locked most of the time and the cooler here does not work. We are forced to sit outside, and at night also we have to manage in the open.”
Hospital director Dr Kavita Arya said adequate beds are available for patients and attendants. “Coolers have been installed in areas where air conditioners are not available,” she added. Visitors across these hospitals said the arrangements remain inadequate despite a surge in patient footfall during summer.
On the other hand, situation is comparatively better at Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences and Lok Bandhu Shri Raj Narayan Combined Hospital, where most of the areas are air conditioned and shelter homes are fully equipped with coolers and other basic facilities.
KGMU has the capacity to cater to more than 3,500 patients at a time and 418 shelter home beds at present. Civil Hospital has 300 beds to accommodate patients but just 24 beds at the shelter home, while the Balrampur Hospital has around 700 beds to admit patients at a time but only 51 shelter home beds.
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