Ludhiana Civil Hospital awaits repair of boundary wall, MCH false ceiling

Tribune News Service

Manav Mander

Ludhiana, September 24

It was in 2018 that the portion of the boundary wall, near the mortuary, of the Civil Hospital collapsed due to rain. It was repaired after a year and the rain fury wreaked havoc on the wall in monsoon season this year too, collapsing the portion yet again.

The damaged wall has given an open access to unscrupulous elements and incidents of theft have been repeatedly reported from the hospital due to the same.

The false ceiling of the Mother and Child Hospital (MCH) has also been removed recently as it was on the verge of collapse. It requires immediate repair as due to its removal rats have been entering hospital rooms. The repair work at the hospital has taken a back seat which, in turn, is giving a difficult time to both doctors and patients.

The boundary wall was collapsed due to rain in 2018 and it was repaired once but it again collapsed recently. Thieves enter the hospital in an easy way through the broken portion of the wall.

In July this year, eight AC compressors were stolen from the Mother and Child Hospital. Water tank from the Civil Hospital and water pipes from the MCH were stolen in August. Earlier, an incident of theft of 2.68 lakh intoxicating tablets was also reported. The tablets were seized by the Health Department and the police in a joint raid. In the past, X-ray films and stamps were also stolen from the hospital. Incidents of cycle theft and pick-pocketing are common at the hospital.

All these incidents have raised questions over the security of patients and medical staff at the hospital.

The false ceiling of the MCH had collapsed a number of times due to which it was removed recently. Patients at the hospital regularly complain about rats roaming inside wards, putting their safety and hygiene at bay. A five-year-old child recently had a horrible time when he got scared after seeing a rat on the side table of the hospital bed.

Dr Harinder Sood, Senior Medical Officer, said they had already written to the Punjab Health System Corporation, which takes care of the maintenance of the hospital, regarding the repair works.

“The works have to be sanctioned by the higher authorities due to which these had been delayed. Now, the renovation work of the Mother and Child Hospital will be started soon and we think the repair work of the Civil Hospital boundary will also be done with it. All works, including of false ceiling, will be done during the renovation,” he said.

Theft incidents on the rise

The broken portion of the Civil Hospital wall has given an open access to unscrupulous elements and incidents of theft have been repeatedly reported from the hospital due to the same.

#Monsoon