Anuradhapura hospital in bad shape

Nimal Wijesinghe Anuradhapura Additional District group correspondent

The day to day health care and administration services at the Anuradhapura Teaching hospital has been badly affected, resulting in the dearth of staff including those of doctors, nurses and minor employees.

According to reliable sources, the hospital, for its efficient running, needs at least another 50 doctors, 250 nurses and 300 minor staff workers.

In addition, most of the wards in the hospital are over-crowded due to lack of accommodation. Several patients occupy benches and even sleep on the floor.

It is further learnt that the performances at the chest hospital unit, outdoor patients department, neurological medical unit and also the children's intensive care unit are slowing down and becoming unsteady due to inadequate staff including physicians and trained staff.

Hospital employees state that the whole hospital structure requires to be completely renovated, since in the process of repairing the wards, the administration department, medical services units and the staff quarters repairs had been only partly executed due to lack of funds and poor maintenance.

Meanwhile the hospital management has submitted a five year development plan pertaining to the Anuradhapura Teaching hospital, to the Health Ministry.