Patients, relatives suffer as potable water unavailable

Ravi Chandel

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, July 22

Patients at Women and Children Hospital have been facing inconvenience due to lack of drinking water.

Kin of the patients have to go to the entrance gate of the Bhai Mani Singh Civil Hospital to bring water, which is almost a kilometre away from Women and Children Hospital.

“The water available at the hospital is unfit for drinking but we have no other option. We don’t have enough money to buy water bottles from the nearby makeshift stalls,” family members of patients said.

Harbhajan Singh, the family member of a patient, said, “I am at the hospital for the last four days due to my wife’s delivery. It becomes too difficult for patients and their attendants to stay here without clean drinking water, especially in this hot weather.”

“Sometimes, we go to the de-addiction ward to bring water but the security would not allow us to fill our bottles from there,” he added

Monika Garg, an attendant of a patient, said, “The authorities concerned are least bothered about the public convenience. There are almost three to four water coolers at the hospital but due to negligence, these are not functioning for the past many days.”

The authorities must be aware of the problem but they choose to overlook it, she added.

Dr Satish Goel, senior medical officer, admitted that due to lack of funds, the problem of unavailability of drinking water at the hospital has arisen. 

Hopefully, it would be resolved soon, the senior medical officer added.

Civil Surgeon Dr Hari Narayan Singh also admitted that there was such problem and the cause was fund crunch. 

“We have already made a list of the things, which need immediate procurement. Soon all problems will be resolved,” the Civil Surgeon added.