Waterlogged premises, garbage, pigs: Sorry state of Bihar's second-largest hospital

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Ramya Patelkhana

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Last updated on May 22, 2021, 08:21 pm

Darbhanga Medical College & Hospital (DMCH), the second-largest hospital and one of the oldest medical colleges in Bihar, is operating under terribly unhygienic conditions amid the second COVID-19 wave. The hospital, which is also operating a COVID-19 ICU ward, is in a sorry state as its premises are waterlogged, polluted, and covered with piles of garbage with pigs and cows roaming around. Here's more.

Hospital struggling to maintain basic hygiene

DMCH—which caters to the medical needs of people in several Bihar districts like Samastipur, Madhubani, and Saharsa—is struggling to maintain basic hygiene, reported ANI. A nurse named Dipa Kumari told ANI that for the past 27 years, they have been facing the same situation, which gets worse in the monsoon season. She said frontline workers are forced to put their lives at risk.

Take a look at the unhygienic conditions on DMCH premises

Nurses on emergency duty have to cross dirty water pools

Even nurses on emergency duty have to cross filthy water pools at DMCH. Conditions at DMCH Medical Superintendent Mani Bhushan Sharma's office are no different. To reach his office, Sharma takes assistance from a guard and a driver to avoid getting injured or drenched in dirty water. He said the situation isn't new as DMCH is quite old and located in a low-lying area.

Areas around COVID-19 ICU, surgery wards inundated with filthy water

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Even the area surrounding the COVID-19 ICU ward, located in front of Sharma's office, is swamped with dirty water; the surgery ward is also in a similar condition. Dr. Ashutosh Kumar, who works in the COVID-19 ICU ward, said doctors and nurses are helpless as they are at a high risk of infections due to the waterlogging and piling garbage on the hospital premises.

COVID-19 situation and facilities for patients at DMCH

Meanwhile, on the COVID-19 situation at DMCH, Sharma said the staff is fighting around-the-clock with the administration's support. On facilities for patients, however, he added there's a lack of manpower to deal with ventilator issues. "We put our sweat and blood to treat patients and save their lives. The administration is working on new facilities and there's enough supply of medicine, oxygen," he said.

District administration working on addressing issues at DMCH

Addressing complaints of waterlogging at DMCH, the DDC of Darbhanga, Tanay Sultania, stated, "There is an issue of waterlogging in the low-lying area after rainfall. DM (District Magistrate) has issued an order to build a road within the next 15 days." "We are in touch with an outsourced agency for garbage management and they're working on it," he added.

Focus has been shifted to treatment of COVID-19 patients: DDC

Sultania reportedly further blamed the low-lying area where DMCH is located and the hospital's old building for the unhygienic conditions there. However, he said their entire focus is now on the treatment of the COVID-19 patients. He added the number of doctors and other medical staff attending to COVID-19 patients and facilities available to them have also been increased.