In a first, a Special Ward for Unknown & homeless set up at OGH
Hyderabad: For the first time in the state, a 20 bedded, special ward to treat & house destitute, homeless patients without attenders and family, popularly termed as ‘unknown’ cases and mostly found abandoned in the hospital or brought to hospital from the by the police, will now have a special ward at OGH on the 2nd floor of the OPD block.
The special ward is being set up in collaboration with NGO, Helping Hand Foundation, who have been given the responsibility to look after such patients, while the doctors and nurses of OGH will treat them.
On a daily basis 3 to 4, unknown cases are found in OGH and an equal number are picked up by the police from the streets, abandoned, lonely and in acute medical condition that need immediate medical attention, clothing, food, and care. Such cases are brought to OGH on a regular basis.
Presently, such unknown cases use to be found in different corners of the hospital & others in waiting area and some at remote corners and there was an acute need felt to create a separate ward for such cases on account of their poor hygiene, mental health & physical health for the doctors to treat.
From now on such patients will be moved to the special ward which was formally opened today by Dr. B. Nagender, Superintendent, OGH in presence of all RMOs and NGO volunteers.
Apart from ones found abandoned they are a good number of patients without attenders, who suffer from trauma injuries & other chronic ailments and who are admitted in ASC, AMC wards & in QQDC building of OGH. They also will be now brought into the special ward for post-surgery care & medical management.
The unknown patients will be provided bed side care, clothing, daily cleaning and assistance in feeding by NGO volunteers. Clothes & other essential items is being stocked up in the special ward and will be used as per requirement.
Daily cleaning and bed side care will make it easier for the doctors and nurses to attend to these patients.
Hitherto lot of unknown cases use to come and there was no coordinated effort to treat, cure & rehabilitate them, now we will attempt to do this with support from our doctors, nurses and our NGO partner, said Dr. B. Nagender, Superintendent, OGH.
Dr. Nagender, further added that those who recover after treatment will be sent to rehabilitation homes or ashrams with the help of the police and NGO.
Most the abandoned and homeless patients have serious mental health issues and are acclimatized in living alone and on the streets, care and rehabilitation for such will always remain a challenge said Mr. Mujtaba Hasan Askari of Helping Hand Foundation.
