PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/ Nainital
Nainital hasn’t even fully received the first pre-monsoon rains and the deplorable condition of the BD Pandey District Hospital is once again visible. The torrential rain that lashed the city late Saturday night exposed the hospital’s poor rain-related arrangements. Water began leaking from roofs at several places of the hospital, causing inconvenience to patients and their attendants throughout the rainy night. The situation became so unmanageable that hospital staff had to move away patients from their beds and resort to using dustbins, buckets and other utensils to manage things.
The aggrieved patients said that the dilapidated condition of the hospital building posed grave risks to those admitted there. “”The condition of the women’s ward is the worst. The rain water dripping from the ceiling on the floor exposes the patients to a risk of slipping,” said a worried-looking woman patient.
What is all the more worrisome is that this rain-posed problem recurs. Last year, during the monsoon season, several hospital wards experienced the same. Even the burn ward was not spared while water sipped in maternity ward, causing significant difficulties for patients and health workers. “Despite this, a permanent solution is still elusive,” rued a staffer, insisting on anonymity.
Locals echoed the grievances, saying that every year, the authorities claim that repairs have been done before the monsoon season. “But the reality does not change. The same has been exposed again during the pre-monsoon rain. We apprehend what will happen when the monsoon comes into its full fury,” said a worried local.
Told about what the people fear, the chief medical superintendent in charge of the hospital, Dr Draupadi Garbyal acknowledged, stating that the leaking problem in the building has persisted for a long time. “A proposal has been sent to the district administration and the government for repairs to the entire hospital’s roofs,” she said, adding that the matter would be brought to the attention of senior department officials once again.
