Mekala (name changed), a patient’s attendant, waits for the lift on the 7th floor of the surgical block of the Government Stanley Medical College Hospital. After a full minute, she decides to take the stairs. “There is no point in waiting. Only two of the four lifts work, and at times, one is reserved for doctors and for patients being taken to the operation theatre. So, many like me take the stairs,” she says.
On the afternoon of May 30, a sudden power cut brought the lift in another block to a halt with three persons trapped inside. While staff and patient attendants helped the trio get out, a staff nurse, when asked about power backup, said the generator that was turned on had stopped functioning after a few minutes. A hospital worker immediately added that the generator had a technical snag.
For a State that takes pride in being among the best in healthcare in the country, amenities for patients at many government hospitals in Chennai leave a lot to be desired. Some lifts are defunct, drinking water is scarce and toilets are unclean at many places. Some buildings are in need of repair, while an inadequate recurring expenses/maintenance fund has proved costly in many ways. Doctors across hospitals say there is delay in repairing or replacing equipment, surgical instruments, and even basic requirements such as fans and lights.
With new buildings being constructed, many existing ones seem to be neglected, and construction debris is dumped at many places. Take the surgical block at the Government Stanley Medical College Hospital for instance. The concrete on the staircase is chipping away, while portions of the ceiling have worn off, exposing the iron rods. Cracks have developed on a portion of the outer wall of the trauma block, which is relatively new, and some of its windows are damaged.
Water scarcity
Drinking water remains a scarce resource in hospitals such as the Government RSRM Lying-in Hospital. Patients depend on water sold in roadside shops on Cemetery Road, Royapuram. “No drinking water is available on the premises. We buy water from a roadside shop near the hospital. Two litres of water cost ₹10. Sometimes, the water supply in the bathroom stops for one to two hours,” said an attendant. Pregnant women walk on slippery floors inside the bathrooms and toilets. Some of the toilets are unclean.
K. Senthil, president of the Tamil Nadu Government Doctors’ Association, said there had been a lot of improvement in government hospitals in the last 10 years, but quality of housekeeping had to improve. “Water is scarce in most hospitals, including the major ones. This also affects sanitation. If this is solved, sanitation will improve,” he said.
In multi-storied blocks, defunct lifts pose a hardship for patients and their attendants. “For instance, the lift at one of the surgery blocks stops functioning suddenly, and there are times when patients have to be carried on the staircase,” a doctor at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital said. Another doctor at IOG and the Hospital for Women and Children said lifts were not repaired immediately. “Pregnant women cannot be pushed around on stretchers on ramps as it is risky and could cause complications,” he added.
Dwindling cleanliness
A senior doctor said cleanliness was dwindling at many city hospitals. “When contract workers were engaged for housekeeping, we were happy at the level of cleanliness maintained in the hospitals. Now this has changed. Sweepers clean when we start our out-patient departments at 7.30 a.m.,” he said. Visitors also dump food waste on window sills and hospital corridors in many places. A common sight in most hospitals is stray dogs on campus. Hospitals are finding it hard to address small repair works such as leaking pipes, water taps, fans and lights due to inadequate funds allotted for recurring expenses/maintenance. There are instances where patients bring their own table fans from home as the ceiling fans do not function. “If we need to take up such repairs, we are asked to use the funds generated through the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme,” a doctor added. But delay in repair and replacement does not pertain only to these utilities. Equipment and surgical instruments also face a similar situation. “For instance, the ultrasound scan machine at a government maternity hospital runs 24/7. It does not last for its normal lifespan and has to be repaired or replaced soon. But this does not happen, and so, the patient suffers.” “Some of the operating tables do not function. The light or monitor or position adjustment does not work. If it needs repair in a year, it is left without replacement,” a surgeon added.
Health Minister C. Vijaya Baskar said they were taking measures to provide adequate water supply at hospitals. “We have opened counters for Amma drinking water at seven hospitals. We have asked hospitals to use money from the maintenance and repair funds to ensure that they have water supply,” he said.
He added that hospitals could also utilise funds generated under the CMCHIS for civil works, while Public Works Department employees were available at the hospitals to cater to repair works.