No post of cleaner in Rs 135-crore hospital

Vikas Sharma

Tribune News Service

Jammu, March 29

Even as the state government is making tall claims of providing better health services to the people of the state with the construction of premier medical institutes, poor sanitary conditions prevail in government hospitals.

Sources said the 200-bedded Super Speciality Hospital (SSH) at Resham Ghar Colony, Jammu, that was constructed at a cost of Rs 135 crore in 2013 is struggling to maintain proper sanitation on its premises due to an acute shortage of cleanliness staff. They added that since inauguration of the hospital, not even a single post of cleaner had been sanctioned by the government till date.

“Earlier, there was a shortage of teaching faculty and now the poor sanitation is making things worse. The government is spending crores on creating infrastructure but it cannot create posts for cleanliness of the hospital which is so necessary,” the sources claimed.

“Thousands of poor patients from all over the state come to the hospital for treatment, but they confront stinking toilets. Though the hospital authorities have managed to hire some sweepers, not all toilets are being properly cleaned,” the sources added.

“Those persons at the helm of affairs conduct cleanliness drives under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan with much fanfare just for clicking selfies and for publicity. They should get their act together and resolve the problem,” Raman Kumar, a patient from Akhnoor, said.

When contacted, Dr Manoj Chalotra, Medical Superintendent, SSH, Jammu, said, “we are making every possible effort to ensure proper sanitation in the not only in toilets but on the entire hospital premises, including wards and staff rooms.”

He admitted that there was no sanctioned post of sanitation staff in the hospital. “Till date, we do not have sanitation staff and we are relying on outsourcing of sanitation employees to ensure cleanliness of the premises,” he said.

“Though we have referred the posts to the higher authorities concerned, we need a minimum of 100 employees for maintenance of proper sanitation,” Dr Chalotra said.

Pertinently, the SSH project was envisaged to ease the overcrowding at Government Medical College and Hospital, Jammu, which is at present catering to 1,200-1,400 OPD patients daily, besides other patients.

As many as six departments are functioning in the SSH. These are cardiology, cardiothoracic and vascular surgery, neurology, neurosurgery, nephrology and urology.