Bhopal Gas Survivor Groups Accuse BMHRC Of Curtailing Essential Services
Survivor groups seek ICMR intervention over services.
Four organisations representing survivors of the 1984 Bhopal Gas tragedy on Thursday alleged that the Bhopal Memorial Hospital and Research Centre (BMHRC) has curtailed essential healthcare services at its satellite mini units, affecting access to diagnostic facilities for thousands of gas victims. The groups claimed that pathology services have been discontinued at all eight mini units and that X-ray facilities are also being phased out, forcing patients to travel to the main BMHRC hospital for investigations.
According to the organisations, pathology laboratories at the mini units have been shut and their equipment and staff shifted to the main hospital. They alleged that the move has resulted in delays in diagnostic reports, with tests such as fasting and post-prandial blood sugar, which were previously available the same day, now taking up to 48 hours. The groups also claimed that patients are being turned away when the only nurse posted at a mini unit is unavailable to collect blood samples.
The organisations further alleged that Mini Units 1, 3, 5 and 8 have stopped receiving X-ray films, requiring patients to visit the main BMHRC facility for imaging services. They claimed that no written order had been issued regarding the discontinuation of pathology or X-ray services and questioned the practice of orally referring patients to the main hospital without proper documentation. According to the groups, these mini units were originally established to provide healthcare services close to the neighbourhoods where survivors of the gas tragedy reside.
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The organisations, including the Bhopal Group for Information and Action (BGIA), have written to the Union Health Ministry, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), BMHRC Director Manisha Shrivastava and the Supreme Court-appointed Monitoring Committee, seeking immediate restoration of pathology and X-ray facilities. In a letter sent to the ICMR on August 5, they alleged that the reduction in services was affecting timely diagnosis and treatment for gas victims and urged authorities to intervene without delay.
Rachna Dhingra of BGIA alleged that the hospital management was weakening neighbourhood healthcare services instead of strengthening them and prioritising procurement of new equipment over uninterrupted patient care. She also stated that the organisation would raise the issue before the Supreme Court during the hearing of its contempt petition scheduled for August 11, contending that the reported curtailment of services violates the apex court's directions to ensure free and adequate healthcare for survivors of the Bhopal Gas tragedy. BMHRC had not issued a response to the allegations at the time of reporting.
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