BENGALURU: Two years after mounds of earth were dumped on its premises, Leprosy Hospital at Magadi Road continues to be in a shambles. The earth excavated for the construction of Arogya Soudha was dumped in the open spaces of the neighbouring Leprosy hospital but officials concerned failed to get the debris cleared.
Weeds have now grown on those debris. Mounds of earth also obstruct proper ventilation in the hospital blocks. With the lung spaces being suffocated with debris, the surroundings have become an extremely unhygienic place for patients to live in. The hospital has 100 beds and as many as 41 patients currently occupy it. Nine of them are women. Patient number keeps changing but the stigma attached with lepers is still prevalent. It makes going home tough for some of them. The unpleasant sight inside the hospital premises doesn’t make for a healthy living, let alone a quick recovery.
Doctors at Leprosy Hospital recall how the hospital once had spacious walkways, a temple and huge vacant spaces. Dr Ayub Ali Khan Zai, medical superintendent, Leprosy Hospital said that the situation has been the same ever since the construction works started in September, 2013. The premises was once spread over 17 acres. But now, it is down to four or five acres with the State Health and Family Welfare Training Centre and HFW Hostel along with Public Health Foundation of India taking up the space. Debris has been eating up the remaining open space.
Dr S Pushparaj, joint director, Leprosy Department of Health and Family Welfare, said that he had asked the KHSRDP (Karnataka’s Health Systems Reform and Development Project) to clear the debris as soon as possible in the interest of the patients.
“Since the construction is really huge (and so the debris), the health minister has asked the chief engineer to get it cleared as soon as possible. They are using the main entrance only for moving the heavy machinery. I have also asked them to employ a security guard. But the hospital has to write to the chief engineer repeatedly to get it cleared. KHSRDP shouldn’t create problems for an existing hospital,” he said.
Niranjan, the construction site in-charge said, “We have to reuse the debris. We are not supposed to send it outside. We have informed the higher authorities and we are constructing it according to the green building norms. In another month, we hope to discard it. We had called for tenders twice but there was no response from the public. It would take one month to clear the debris with the help of loaders. We hope to get some response when we float the tender for the third time.”