BENGALURU: Hundreds of people seeking treatment for cancer at state-run Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology in Bengaluru have been forced to spend a day or two sleeping on pavements on the premises as they await Covid RT-PCR test results.
A Covid negative report is mandatory to secure a bed at the hospital. Since most of these people come from far-off dis tricts and cannot afford hotel rooms, they have nowhere to go. Those stranded include patients who are negative for Covid but are undergoing cancer evalua tion tests, forcing them to stay on the campus for weeks. Most of the men sleep in the parking lot at night.
While the third Covid-19 wave has pushed up the number of such people, ongoing renova tion work at Venkateshwara Dharmashala dormitory, which began three months ago, has exacerbated the situation. While Infosys Dharmashala can accommodate 350-400 patients and a relative each, entry is re stricted to only those who test Covid negative. Venkateshwara Dharmashala can accommodate 150 people on each floor.
A 56-year-old woman from Vijayapura, who has cervical cancer, was among the hundreds awaiting Covid test reports. “She is very weak,” said her husband, who reserves their space outside Daga block with their bags and a towel. “We came here earlier too, but we need the Covid report to get treatment. We may not have Covid, but what if we contract the virus from other patients sleeping here?”
The mother of a bone cancer patient said: “If we could afford a hotel room, why would we be here?” Also seen are fathers of many paediatric patients. “The hospital allows only one atten- dant per patient,” said Manjunatha (name changed) from Gadag, who has spent weeks of winter nights on the pavement. “My son is being treated for blood cancer and my wife barely understands what the doctors says. How can I leave them alone here?” Doctors admit that it is heart wrenching to see patients and their relatives out in the scorching sun or the cold nights.
“If chemotherapy is scheduled once a week, they can’t go back home. So, they stay here,” said a doctor. Stretched beyond limits Dr C Ramachandra, director, Kidwai, said the hospital gets 1,300- 1,800 OPD patients a day and some of them require admission. “We are an 850-bed facility and we are full,” he said. He said throughout the year, about 250 people rest under trees and on the pavements on the campus.
“Earlier, they could stay at one of the Dharmashalas, but since the pandemic hit, only Covid negative patients are housed in Infosys Dharmashala,” said Dr Ramachandra. He said renovation work on Venkateshwara Dharmashala was urgent and was undertaken to ensure everyone’s safety. It’s likely to be completed by March.
He said free meals are pro- vided in the Dharmashala for all thrice a day. There is also an Indira Canteen on the campus.
“Cancer is not like fever where we can prescribe paracetamol and send them home,” Dr Ramachandra said. “It takes four days to a week to evaluate a patient. Since they are from far-off districts, they can’t go back home. We cannot admit them all and accommodate their relatives either. ” Hospital staff infected He said since the third wave hit, 284 staffers in the hospital, including 100 nurses have been infected and it has affected work. “Renovation work is also affected since many construction workers are contracting Covid,” he said. The hospital is also building a shelter for patients next to Infosys Dharmashala where about 220 people can be accommodated, the director said.
Dr Ramachandra said a crying need is to establish multiple cancer centres like Kidwai across the state. “A 100-bed hospital in Tumakuru and a 200-bed facility in Shivamogga are coming up. A branch of Kidwai needs to be established in Hubballi and Mysuru too to ensure access to treatment for all,” he said.
