Award-winning government homoeo hospital in Kottayam turns into waste dump

Kurichy: The government Homoeo Hospital at Kurichy in Kottayam, which won the state government’s Kayakalpam award for hygiene and garbage disposal, has now become a waste-dumping yard.

The culprits behind the situation are people passing along the road in front of the hospital who throw garbage into the hospital premises, taking advantage of its incomplete compound wall. Residents of the area have sought immediate action by the authorities to clear the garbage from the prestigious hospital.

Even though work on the compound wall was started four years ago, it was abandoned midway through. Hospital employees said that the work was discontinued following a dispute over the boundary.

An old wall was demolished to build the new structure, but now miscreants are dumping waste through the unfinished portion. Antisocial elements also trespass on the hospital premises through the partially built wall during nighttime. Patients and their bystanders alleged that security personnel are not deployed in the hospital at night.

Another problem haunting the hospital is a severe shortage of water. This issue aggravates during summer and cannot be resolved even after the authorities dug multiple wells on the premises.

Officials said that water from the wells is insufficient to meet the daily needs of the hospital. In fact, even the well-constructed structures built by workers of the employment guarantee scheme two years ago have become dry during the hot season.

Similarly, the supply from the pipe connection of the Kerala Water Authority cannot meet the hospital’s requirements. Incidentally, of the two overhead tanks in the hospital, one is dysfunctional.

Currently, the Hospital Management Committee (HMC) purchases potable water to meet the needs of the institution, spending a large amount. The HMC also decides the supplier of water.

The issues plaguing the hospital include: Hospital premises covered with vegetation, creating the threat of reptiles such as snakes. Stray dogs also thrive, even at the OP counter and inside the wards. Yet another problem haunting the hospital is a shortage of parking spaces for vehicles, which often leads to severe arguments. Lack of a canteen at the hospital also causes many difficulties to patients and bystanders.

Reacting to the situation, Pallom block panchayat president Tomichan Joseph said that the panchayat has been implementing several developmental programmes at the hospital.

“We will soon carry out a project to recharge the well to solve the problem of water shortage, for which an amount of Rs 6 lakh has been allotted. The issue of the compound wall also will be rectified by overcoming the legal hurdles,” he said.

Meanwhile, HMC member R Rajagopal said that the best facilities have to be arranged for the patients and bystanders. “The hospital infrastructure should be improved and wide publicity given to the services offered by the institution,” he said.

Meanwhile, despite shortcomings, the hospital continues to provide diverse services to patients such as the infertility project ‘Janani’, women’s welfare programme ‘Seethalayam’, anti-drugs programme ‘Punarjani’, cancer OP, palliative OP, thyroid OP and physiotherapy OP.

Patients from even neighbouring districts reach the hospital seeking these services. Other modern facilities have also been arranged at the hospital utilising the plan fund of the district and block panchayats. The hospital has 12 OPs, a laboratory and scanning facilities.