Surat Shocker : Patients Forced to use ageing wheelchairs at New Civil Hospital

SURAT, GUJARAT : A heartbreaking scene unfolds daily at Surat’s New Civil Hospital (NCH), highlighting the facility’s critical need for increased financial support. A woman, her face etched with worry, painstakingly pulls her husband in a dilapidated wheelchair, its wheels replaced by bare metal rims scraping against the floor. This stark image exposes the hospital’s struggle with severe funding shortages, leaving it unable to provide even basic medical equipment like functional wheelchairs.

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“It’s incredibly difficult,” says Mahesh Patel, a daily laborer whose wife, Meena, has been tirelessly caring for him at NCH after an accident (names changed). “The wheelchair makes it impossible to move him around for even basic needs. We can’t afford a new one, and the hospital says they can’t provide one either.” Meena’s voice cracks with emotion, “He’s in so much pain, and seeing him like this just breaks my heart.”

NCH, a vital public health facility serving a large population in South Gujarat, is grappling with a lack of funds to procure essential medical equipment.  “The situation is quite challenging,” admits a senior physician at NCH. “We understand the immense hardship patients and their families face due to the unavailability of basic equipment. We’ve been requesting additional funding for some time now, but the resources haven’t materialized.”

The hospital, known for offering affordable and accessible healthcare, is now at risk of compromising the quality of care it provides.  “This isn’t just about wheelchairs,” says a concerned social worker at NCH, requesting anonymity. “The lack of funds impacts everything, from medicines to proper maintenance of facilities. It’s a domino effect that ultimately affects the most vulnerable patients who rely on this hospital.”