While the patients visiting the casualty are asked to bring gauges and bandages of their own, relatives of those admitted for ailments like diarrhoea and gastroenteritis are made to run to the nearest chemist shops to fetch life-saving intravenous fluids and other basic drugs.The doctors and other hospital staff blame the state government for the rueful lack of infrastructure and medicines, saying they were provided with a measly budget to run the hospital.

During the last financial year, the state sanctioned a budget of Rs 4.32 lakh for medicines to the hospital. 1.83 lakh patients visited the hospital during the year and only Rs 2.36 was spent on the treatment of each patient.This year, till date, even that amount appears to be a thing of the past for the patients who come from far-flung areas of the district and consider the B.K. Hospital their last hope.

``As the current budget has not reached us yet, we have little idea about its size,'' said a medical officer.

With the onset of summer, patients of diarrhoea and gastroenteritis from all parts of the district have started visiting the hospital. Over 20 patients undergoing treatment for diarrhoea and related ailments in the children's ward of the hospital told Express Newsline that the hospital was not providing the necessary medicines and IV fluids to them.

``I have been spending Rs 60 for glucose and medicines for the past one week but nothing is being provided from the hospital,'' said Hanso, whose 7-month-old son is suffering from diarrhoea.

A woman from village Kherla in Palwal, who brought two of her children suffering from diarrhoea to the hospital, could only get four-month-old Beena admitted. The other child was lying on the same bed without any medical treatment. ``I do not have money for the treatment of both the children. When I informed the doctors about my financial position, they only admitted one child,'' said the woman. ``I am meeting the medical expense of Rs 100 a day with the help of loan from relatives and friends.''

Ironically, even the Rs 20,000 which has been sanctioned to the hospital by the Deputy Commissioner from the Red Cross fund for the purchase of IV-fluids last week, is yet to meet the purpose. Only 200 bottles of the fluids were purchased by the hospital by Saturday.

``Soon we will manage some more bottles, '' was all that Principal Medical Officer S.K. Puri could say when asked about the non-availability of IV fluid for the indoor patients.

Regarding the non-availability of medicines, Puri stated,``With our limited budget we provide common medicines mainly to the outdoor patients but, in certain cases, life-saving drugs are provided to indoor patients as well.''On the other hand, patients claim that those undergoing surgical operations in the hospital have to pay at least Rs 5,000 to the doctor who performs the operation. ``Those who do not pay the fee for operations remain admitted in the concerned ward for weeks. Operations are conducted only after payment is made, '' said a member of the hospital staff.