Stagnant filthy water near hospital's surgical unit in Kollam calls for urgent intervention
District Hospital's cardiac surgery area suffers from burst pipes, stagnant water, and broken windows. Post-surgery wards lack hot water, and the ICU lacks vital ABG testing, forcing expensive external tests.
District Hospital's cardiac surgery area suffers from burst pipes, stagnant water, and broken windows. Post-surgery wards lack hot water, and the ICU lacks vital ABG testing, forcing expensive external tests.
District Hospital's cardiac surgery area suffers from burst pipes, stagnant water, and broken windows. Post-surgery wards lack hot water, and the ICU lacks vital ABG testing, forcing expensive external tests.
Kollam: At the District Hospital, patients as well as bystanders undergo the most harrowing experience one can have at a health care centre.
On the third floor, a pipe has burst near the cardiac surgery theatre, leading to the accumulation of stagnant, filthy water and leaving the area dangerously unhygienic.
Mosquitoes breeding in this water are a constant bother for patient attendants, who are forced to endure bites as they must remain nearby for any urgent calls from the ICU. Old commodes are also piled up at the site of the burst pipe. The problems don't end there: even in the ward where patients are admitted post-cardiac surgery, drinking hot water is unavailable. Attendants are compelled to purchase hot water from the hospital canteen or shops outside.
Men's restrooms suffer from an irregular water supply, and there are complaints of dirty water stagnating due to improper drainage. There are no facilities for hanging washed clothes. Furthermore, ward windows are broken and dislodged. The hall adjacent to the new ICU unit has been repurposed as a dumping ground for waste.
Critically ill patients admitted to the new ICU face significant hardship due to the absence of an Arterial Blood Gas (ABG) testing facility, which is crucial for monitoring blood oxygen, carbon dioxide, and pH levels.This vital test is unavailable even in laboratories near the hospital. Consequently, patients' families are forced to rely on distant private hospitals, with each test costing a hefty 850 rupees.
Doctors prescribe medication based on these ABG test results. In some cases, multiple tests are required, forcing attendants to make repeated trips to private hospitals. Women and elderly attendants often use the lift to purchase medicines and food for patients on the third floor. However, there are complaints that security guards and other hospital attendants routinely prevent them from using it.