Gudivada: Eleven staff members at Gudivada Government Area Hospital, including the former hospital superintendent, six doctors, two nursing superintendents, an administrative officer, and a pharmacist, are facing disciplinary action over serious charges of negligence, mismanagement, and dereliction of duty.
The action follows allegations of repeatedly ignoring internal audit warnings and compromising patient safety. The accused have been held responsible for grave lapses such as poor supervision, irregularities in drug inventory, unhygienic conditions, substandard food quality, and inadequate cleanliness across the hospital premises.
Health, Family Welfare and Medical Education Minister Satya Kumar Yadav ordered the action after reviewing a report submitted by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB). The report was based on a surprise two-day inspection carried out in February 2020, following public complaints of irregularities.
The ACB’s findings revealed alarming details — substandard food being served to patients, medical kits and gloves scattered across the premises, errors in patient records, and discrepancies in the stock and registration of medicines. Despite multiple audit warnings between 2014 and 2018, no corrective action was taken. Additionally, payments worth several lakhs were made to a driver for unrelated tasks, while an unused hospital vehicle remained neglected.
Pharmacists and nursing superintendents were specifically held accountable for failures in medicine supply and maintaining hygiene protocols, including the routine changing of patient blankets, according to a report by TNIE.
Condemning the negligence, Minister Yadav stated, “The repeated emergence of such cases reflects the irresponsibility and irregularities that plagued government hospitals under the previous administration. Strict action will be taken against the guilty. We are committed to improving supervision and raising standards in state-run hospitals.”
Just two weeks earlier, similar disciplinary action was initiated against 22 staff members at Anakapalle Government Hospital. This included the former District Coordinator of Health Services (DCHS), nine doctors, and 12 nurses — all accused of serious misconduct and negligence based on another ACB report from 2020.
In Anakapalle, the DCHS was found guilty of failing to enforce staff attendance and neglecting core supervisory responsibilities, while doctors and nurses were charged with poor hygiene practices, lack of diet planning, patient overexposure, and improper documentation of medications.
