Lives at risk in Bhiwani nursing hostel

Deepender Deswal

Tribune News Service

Hisar, February 23

The nursing school hostel at the Chaudhary Bansi Lal Civil Hospital, Bhiwani, is in a dilapidated condition. A team of experts inspected the building recently and admitted that the building was unsafe for students.

The four-storey building was constructed in 1971 in the Civil Hospital campus which houses about 140 girl students who are students of the auxiliary nurse midwifery and general nursing and midwifery courses.

Several girl students had staged a protest demonstration for about a week while alleging that the plasters on the walls and the roof often fall on them and some students had suffered injuries due to it.

Public Works Department-Building and Roads (PWD-B&R) Executive Engineer (XEN) Krishan Kumar said a team from the Chandigarh head office had inspected the building. “The team took the videography and photographs of the building. The report for the same will be submitted within a week. It seems that the building is in dilapidated condition and the repair work is unlikely to be carried out. SDM Mahesh Kumar too had visited the building after which the administration decided to get it inspected from the experts,” the XEN said.

Two girls from the hostel had suffered minor injuries due to the damaged building. Several students said had complaint the officials of the Health Department at the Civil Hospital, including the Civil Surgeon and the Principal Medical Officer, but they said the matter was not under their purview.

After a demonstration by students, the health authorities closed the hostel for a week and sent the girls home. On being contacted, a Civil Surgeon said the matter pertained to the Medical Education and Research Department.

He said SDM Mahesh Kumar had asked the principal of the nursing school to find alternative place for the stay of the students.

Built in 1971

• The four-storey building was constructed in 1971 on the Civil Hospital campus and houses about 140 women students of auxiliary nurse midwifery and general nursing and midwifery courses
• Several students had staged a protest for about a week alleging that pieces of plaster from the walls and the ceiling often falls on them and some students had even suffered injuries due to it