Hospital and Hospitality

I used to associate the word Hospitality with Hospitals. [Oxford Dictionary - hospitality · n. the friendly and generous reception and entertainment of guests or strangers].


General Hospital is situated in the heart of Udaipur City. It's one of its only kind hospital of Rajasthan. It is well equipped with modern instruments and highly specialized doctors. Yeah, in appearance wise this old building can't compete with luxurious new private hospitals. But still I feel no other hospital can beat this old heritage of Udaipur.  Being government hospital treatment is cheap. It’s lifeline for poor people. Government does a lot for poor - Free treatment to medicines and meals for BPL people. If you have patience and can adjust in a bit un -clean environment, it’s were you gotta go. People here are not much corrupt like generally we hear in private hospitals. But still I feel hospital can go much better and I don't  hesitate to criticize its weak points. 

For some reason I got chance of spending two complete days in General Hospital of Udaipur. This hospital is sick. It needs some treatment. Hospital is sick not because of patients, but because of ego of people. Why these people have that much attitude. Why can't doctors and hospital staff be more humble and frank with patients and their relatives.It was my general perception to associate hospital with atmosphere of generosity.

Yeah, I agree doctors are busy and they have a lot of responsibilities, but things can be improved. The poor work managements results in a lot of waiting and impatient queues. They just make patients sit long for small issues. But yeah, problem is round robin, ultimately it boils down to over-population. Hospital management needs some attention. They have different set of unconnected staff for different jobs. For security, nursing, operations, cleaning etc and they are not much interconnected. This results in periodic fights among employees. Work of security people is not properly defined. Let me share one happening at the hospital. 

Hospital has two sections - Outdoor and Indoor. Indoor is for people who are admitted and Outdoor is for just for small issues and doctors appointment staff etc. Rules say - No one is allowed to enter Indoor without special pass, but this rule is followed in so arbit random fashion, that leaves everyone in confusion. Security people won't trouble white collar gentlemen, but will just throw out  if a villager tried to enter in. This is no way a fair policy. Sometimes security people try to be strict with everyone .. But this leads to chaos. I was just around and some doctor in informal (no apron, name-tag and other doctor feel stuff) was trying to enter a ward. New policemen on duty shouted in his normal routine language "tu bahar nikal"; this comment just sparked that doctor, who busted policemen "tum 3rd class log, saale mujhe bahar nikalta hai" etc. and so on. Soon doctor lost all his senses and filled the atmosphere with 100db noise.  No one keeps mobiles on silent mode. Be it patients or doctors. Actually atmosphere is already so  noisy that mobiles have negligible effect.

Doctors are like God-figure for patients. The impressions they make, will stick with patients, with fellow people, and as we go further with other members of the different communities in and around Udaipur. Well its okay if some small fight occurs and is compressed, but its more like everyday occurrence, newspapers often reflect the same. Forget about hospitality for patients Everyone seems like just doing his/her duty, they don't show any emotions and give respect to feelings of patients.  Work Culture is Sick !

Some doctors lack manners, kuch bhi bol dete hai. They have some rules to make wards less crowded. Sometimes relatives too visit their patients .. yeah I agree this makes place crowded, but doctors should decently explain people regarding the same. Coarse language kills people from inside. The feeling is even worse in the hearts of illiterate villagers who travel miles to just have a satisfactory look at their fellow beings. Rules are rules, but behavior is also behavior. Doesn't the batch of 15 junior learning doctors roaming with Boss doctor add to crowd. People (especially poor people) are just afraid of doctors - like kids in a school. But because they are not really kids sometimes frustration burst into harsh remarks. It makes atmosphere even more miserable.

Language treatment to educated people is normal/nice, but the staff sometimes too gets wrong here. Those people don't even mind asking people for official xerox and paper clips etc, may be I agree hospital might not have resources. I don't mind buying a handful of things for them, but a "Thank You" comment may have eased my impression on them.

Bhaiji Junta - One thing I liked in midst of so-so attitude. The Bhaiji's who clean floors etc. Their boldness and dedication to their job is impressive. 10 out of 10. These Bhajis will thunder the atmosphere with their loud voice and junta will just vacant the place in one go. Had these bhajis been soft, hospital would be a dirty-dirty place.

Also something for cleanliness - Actually its we people who are responsible for same. People like us go and dirty the place. Staff is doing their job perfectly, but nothing much can be done if people don't change this way of life.

Also, Hospital Canteen is awesome. If you are even hungry and had a night out and finding some place to eat - this place is where you gotta go. Cheap good food - 24*7. Few months back after a nite-out I had tea-coffe here early morning. 

Also, some doctors and staff people are really nice. Their dedication to work is impressive. Anyway whatz awesome part is everything happens perfectly well in these settings. This is so called adjusting nature of Indians. May be we don't have much resources to afford good infrastructure, but we still are doing best with limitations. Yeah, it can be case some dirty people may have make place sick, but their is always a way out. The problems can be best addressed by some internal experienced dedicated employee of hospital, they are only one who knows the true picture. 

I hope someday, someone with google and this blog and may be will contribute something for betterment. Here is some way to go about. 

Recommendations

1. Hospital needs a separate department for hospitality. This department can guide and instruct people      well. They should be very frank people and make people realise hospital is friendly place too.
2. Currently rules are half make and followed. There should be proper rules and regulations, job of everyone (especially security people)  should be concisely defined.  Rules should be followed by everyone with due regard.
3. All departments should be well inter-connected. Frank atmosphere should be reflected on face of people. Hospital staff is doing their job well, but they should also reflect some love and affection in their attitude.
4. Sign boards and proper conventions to help people find their respective destinations. Its really a big building and even educated new doctors may get lost there.
5. If possible, more lifts can be installed for convenience of  patients.
6. Doctors, they are highly educated people but they must not should too much attitude. They should properly listen to every small doubt of patients and there relatives.
7. Computerization can be a big boon to lot of paper work inside 
8. Hospital don't have proper lights and fans. Thatz creating a lot of inconvenience. Many fans and lights are dead. But the arrangements for patience is okay. Not much repair work is needed, a small addon will be a boon. Actually, public doesn't use things properly and these equipment go wrong before their lifetime. 
9. Lack of proper sitting and waiting place, if government can invest to create so nice airports, why not for hospitals.

Whatz pointed are some general happenings in General Hospital of Udaipur. These are layman's educated observations. All whatz blogged may not be true in general but its also not much out of reality. 

The request is, to move 2 steps forward and change your attitude. Also comment your views and suggestions. The more we can learn from each other as to what is working, what not, and what we can do to improve, the better we can together build this initiative.

Disclaimer: The views expressed here are strictly personal. No representation is made that it is timely, accurate or complete.