Bengaluru: Lokayukta officials conducted a surprise visit on Monday and found that state-run Victoria Hospital is severely lacking in necessary medications and may not have sufficient funds to purchase them.

During their inspection of various wards and hospital operations at the largest government-run medical facility in Karnataka, Lokayukta Justice B S Patil, Upalokayukta Justice K N Phaneendra, and Justice B Veerappa were accompanied by six judicial officers, two superintendents of police (SP), four deputy superintendents of police (DySP), and helping staff in four teams.

The examination, according to sources from the teams, was prompted by patient reports of mistreatment, allegations of doctors operating private practices while on leave, hospital costs demanded by doctors citing errors on BPL cards, and the unavailability of essential medications like aspirin.

Even though many patients had been waiting since the morning, Lokayukta officials saw during the late afternoon inspection that there were no doctors available to treat them. According to trusted sources, there were more problems with hygiene, crowded outpatient clinics, and PG students treating patients in lieu of on-call doctors.

"Victoria Hospital does not have essential, life-saving drugs; we found a severe shortage. When the hospital administration was questioned about this, they told us that it was due to a shortage of funds," said Justice Patil.

According to hospital Dean-Director Dr. Ramesh Krishna, the hospital receives Rs. 70 crore a year for drug procurement; however, this year's allocation was reportedly reduced by about 40%.

Also, the Lokayukta discovered that the hospital had not paid the drug supplier an amount of cash that was not indicated in unpaid bills, which prevented the supplier from providing costly medications, causing a shortage, as noted by the inspectors.

A patient was also seen struggling on the sidewalk in front of the hospital earlier in the day by a group of police officers from the Lokayukta's intelligence wing while conducting an undercover inspection. He had received no care from hospital staff.

The Lokayukta contacted Dr. Ramesh Krishna, the dean of the hospital, and Dr. Deepak S., the medical superintendent, and requested an explanation for these gaps in a comprehensive report. They also threatened to take disciplinary action if any dereliction of duty was found after an inquiry. "The inquiry will go on until a people-friendly environment is created at the hospital," stated Justice Patil.

(Input from various sources)

(Rehash/Priyanka Pandey/MSM)