Chennai: Patients fear infections as PHCs, hospitals remain inundated

The Urban Health Training Centre in Shenoy Nagar has several paediatric patients who are admitted for fever but inundation for the past two days has further increased the worries of their attendants as they fear their children getting affected with dengue, diarrhoea or typhoid in such conditions.

“I brought my eight-month-old son to the hospital as he had complaints of vomiting and light fever. The hospital premises was waterlogged for the past two days and though we have my son admitted here, I am worried if he will catch other infections. The water from the adjacent under-construction building led to the inundation on the premises. The sanitary workers had cleared it but the road outside the hospital remains waterlogged,” said Ramya, attendant of a patient at Shenoy Nagar Urban Health Training Center.

Government ESI Hospital in KK Nagar, Government Peripheral Hospital in Annai Sathya Nagar also saw inundation on the campus and was cleared after about a day. The healthcare workers at the PHC in CIT Colony have similar woes as the road alongside the PHC was waterlogged and gave a tough time to the patients and healthcare workers.

“The inundation on the road and waste from the dustbins in the locality made it difficult for us to clear the rainwater from the PHC premises. Every year we face the same problem and patients engage in arguments with us,” said a sanitary worker from the PHC.

Earlier, the State health department officials had given instructions that the PHCs should be cleaned, sprayed with disinfectants and all medicines for waterborne diseases and vector-borne diseases should be stocked.

When contacted, City Health Officer M Jagadeesan said the zonal officials have been informed on clearing the respective PHCs and the State Health Department personnel are also working together to ensure that the public does not face any inconveniences in terms of health services