DT Impact: Government hospital fixes problems after report

The investigative report focused on the poor sanitary conditions in the four main Government Hospitals in the city. Following this, works were initiated to clear the drains on Monday morning said Dr Narayana Babu, Dean of the hospital. 

“The first thing we did was to ensure that the drains were cleaned immediately. We availed of Metro Water’s block clearing lorry, to remove the blocks in the drains. With the use of the power water, pressure is applied to clear the drains, ensuring smooth flow of drainage water,” he said. 

Also read: Unhealthy practices around Chennai Government hospitals

On Tuesday morning, workers from the Public Works Department (PWD) were seen expanding the drains outside the Dermatology department, after the hospital authorities were alerted by the above report on the overflowing drainage water. 

The hospital authorities also called for the workers from Padmavathy, the agency from which all hospitals outsource workers from, to clean the premises and provide lids for the garbage bins located around the hospital premises. The PWD was also asked to identify drains with broken cement slabs around the hospital and replace them. 

“The PWD usually finishes the work and then quotes an amount and we make the payment from the hospital funds. We are also making a permanent bypass, with increased diameters as the breadth of the drainage pipes have increased,” added the Dean. 

It may be recalled that the drainage pipes outside the Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprosy (at a waiting shed) were found discharging the waste water onto the floor of the shed, causing visitors to cover their noses and jump over the water each time it gushed out. “Work on repairing the drains has been initiated and it will be complete soon,” the Dean added.