TIRUCHY: Visitors to the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital (MGMGH) as well as attendants of patients complain of the shortage of seating arrangements on the premises forcing them to squat on the stairways, corridor floors, and open spaces often in unhygienic conditions.
Mentioning the problem to be acute at the maternity and speciality blocks, they demand the authorities concerned to pay heed to their complaints and act immediately. The situation is most prominent at the maternity block where hundreds of attendants are found squatting near the entrance, the floors and even in the stairwells due to the availability of a limited number of chairs. Visitors to the delivery ward in the first floor were seen sitting on the floor.
At another entrance located to the left of the block’s main entrance, a group of people were seen laying down bed sheets to rest on. Even pregnant women were seen sitting on the floor due to lack of available seating. "The wait time is long and there's nowhere to sit. My daughter-in-law has been admitted for two days but I've spent hours sitting in a dusty corner near the stairwell,” said R Parveen Banu, a visitor from Mutharasanallur.
Though hospital staff discourage visitors from waiting near the verandah, many visitors who say they come from faraway places add that they have no choice but to be available near the respective wards in the event of them being called urgently. The speciality block at the hospital is no different as visitors say the few chairs available in a common area on the second floor are placed too far from the wards.
"If there's an emergency and a nurse calls, it's hard to respond quickly. We need benches closer to the wards," said M Rafiq of Mannachanallur, who is attendant to his father. "We are not seeking luxury but just basic benches or chairs outside every ward," said S Kumari, an attendant from Jeeyapuram.
According to visitors, complaints to ward staff and hospital security about the issue have gone unaddressed. When enquired, a senior hospital official told TNIE that new chairs will soon be placed wherever necessary in the maternity block. Further, as part of ongoing efforts to cut unnecessary expenditure, discarded furniture have been refurbished. As part of it, over 30 beds have already been restored and sent for use. The refurbished chairs will also be placed in key areas based on need, the official added.