TENKASI: Patients, especially pregnant and elderly women, visiting the Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) dispensary in Kuthukalvalasai in Tenkasi, alleged that the staff members denied them access to the toilet at the facility. Some of the patients were even told to use the municipality toilets at the Tenkasi New Bus Stand, located nearly three kilometres away.
Hundreds of patients from across the district visit the ESIC dispensary every week, seeking treatment and for initial registrations. TNIE recently visited the district-level dispensary multiple times and found the patients' allegations to be true. The clerk at the facility said the key to the toilet was with the medical officer, Dr Vinodhini, and was also seen condemning and turning away people looking to use the toilet. It may be noted that the medical officer and the staff members have a separate toilet inside the dispensary building.
Recently, a worker of a private company and his 34-year-old wife had travelled 33 kilometres from a village to reach the dispensary. He said, "There is no toilet facility available. When my wife asked the staff members, they told her to use the one at the Tenkasi New Bus Stand, for which we may have to pay an extra Rs 100 fare for the autorickshaw," adding that his wife was forced to wait for two more hours until they reached their home.
A 69-year-old woman told TNIE that, as she was denied access to the restroom, she was forced to use a spot in the open with bushes, located a few hundred metres from the dispensary. One K Muthuraj of Pavoorchatram was forced to take his pregnant cousin on his two-wheeler to the Tenkasi New Bus Stand to use the toilet.
When contacted, Dr Vinodhini told TNIE that she would ensure the toilet at the facility remains open for the patients. She denied the clerk's allegations of possessing the key and claimed that some patients failed to keep the toilet clean.