The waiting rooms of the maternity ward at the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital in Tiruchi lack basic amenities, much to the inconvenience of those who escort the patients.
Though there are two waiting rooms on the side of the building, those attending to patients admitted to the ward say that conditions inside the room were pathetic because of which they occupy the front portion of the maternity ward. Most residents sleep in the open outside the ward at night.
The attenders complained that when it rains, the roofs leak. The rooms are not kept clean and due to a lack of trash bins, littering was rampant, they said. The announcements calling for attenders of patients are not audible at the waiting rooms and requested installing public address system.
“I have been here for the past six days and I cannot hear the announcements being made if I am inside the waiting rooms. The waiting rooms are not kept clean, and when it rains, it gets intolerable as the roof leaks. I am not able to get any rest in this environment,” said A. Saravana Kumar, an attender.
The waiting rooms do not have chairs or beds. The taps in the washroom often run dry. With a poorly covered sewer running close by, mosquito menace pose a hazard for attenders.
“I can’t get any drinking water because there are only two R.O. drinking water taps. The daily-use water taps do not work at all, and the bathrooms are kept locked. I am forced to use the pay-and-use toilets outside the hospital. I am scared that if I am gone too long, I might miss the calls from the nurses,” said M. Karthik, an attender.
D. Nehru, Dean of the GH, has promised to look into the grievances of the visitors.
Published - June 01, 2024 07:23 pm IST
