Oct 06, 2011 08:56 AM
8070 Views
This hospital caters to orthopedic patients, i.e. patients who cannot walk without support and help. I brought my father from a rural hospital to this hospital thinking I would be spared the hassle of bringing food, coffee and other drinks multiple times a day to him because he has broken his hip. Little did I realize that Sparsh would be worse than the rural hospital in terms of food and nursing. The hospital charged Rs. 1400/- for food per week and it is payable up-front during the time of admission whether you like it or not. Even though we have insurance, we were told that the food is not part of the ward charges per day, which is Rs. 1650/- per day for a semi-private room.
Sparsh hospital is part of the Health City, which includes Narayana Hrudayalaya(NH). My mother was in NH a month ago and we received excellent service there in terms of food, nursing and doctor care. I expected the same from Sparsh and have been sorely disappointed and extremely dissatisfied so far. The only thing that is good about Sparsh is that the doctors are excellent. But the food and nursing leave a lot to be desired. Even when we pull the bell inside the room, the nurses do not come or ask what is the matter. They do not understand the purpose of the bell.
Nurses also do not know to communicate in any language except Malayalam. Sparsh states that they cater to international visitors. I wonder how many people in Bangalore speak Malayalam fluently enough so nurses can understand? My father and I speak Tamil, Kannada, Hindi and English and we were not able to make the nurses understand that his wound dressing was leaking and needed to be changed. After 2.5 hours, I went to the nurse's station and said that his dressing needs to be changed. So the night nurse sent a ward boy at 1:30 am on 3/10/2011 to change his hospital gown!
There is no table or chair inside the room. Even the doctors use the attender's bed to put their medications and devices. A day nurse mentioned that the food service was slow on holidays. I asked whether hunger stops on holidays. There is no communication between the day and night shift nurses. I had written all the medication taken by my father the day of admission, yet I was asked the same question 3 times by 3 different nurses. It appears as though the file created on my father is just for show and the nurses do not care or take the time to read it.
The food is so horrible that my father lost 1 kg after being in this hospital for only 2 days! He is scheduled for surgery tomorrow and I am afraid that he will contract an infection because he is so weak from lack of food. For the exorbitant prices the hospital charges for food to a semi-private room, I expect better food, better quantity, better service and better options. The hospital charges Rs. 60- for lunch. Within 2 minutes walk is a vegetarian fast-food restaurant that charges Rs. 25/- for lunch. They have more variety, better quality and faster service for less price!
The breakfast does not come until 8:30 am, 3.5 hours after the patient has been woken up and bathed in bed. This only comes after we tell the nurse. There is no one to complain to about the food. The nurses say it is not their department. Complaining to dietician and food supervisor yields NO results. I have already done so. There is no option to bring outside food because it is against hospital "policy." The hospital is endangering my father's health because of its poor food policy. Complaining to residents and nurses has brought not the slightest improvement in the food situation. In fact, it has gotten worse in the 3 days we have been here!
