TIRUCHY: Srirangam Government Hospital is functioning with just 85 beds out of the 157 sanctioned after two ageing inpatient blocks were shut over safety concerns, while its casualty wing continues to operate from a 153-year-old building.
The hospital also lacks an underground drainage (UGD) system and a sewage treatment plant (STP), exposing years of neglect.
Sources said the hospital has been functioning on land leased from the temple administration for a monthly rent of about `87,000.
It comprises two buildings that are around 153 years old and another that is nearly 50 years old. One of the century-old buildings, which housed a 25-bed ward, was closed about a year ago after it became unsafe.
The second building, however, continues to house the casualty wing as there is no alternative space. “If it rains, water seeps into the building. The walls become damp and portions of plaster fall from the ceiling. We continue to use it because there is no other place to run the casualty ward,” hospital sources said.
The 50-year-old inpatient block, which housed around 80 beds, including four ICU beds and an operation theatre, was closed around three months ago due to structural concerns.
With nearly 100 beds rendered unusable, patients have been shifted to the floor above the administrative block and other available spaces, reducing the hospital’s effective bed strength to 85. The issue resurfaced after the CPM staged a protest on Tuesday, demanding immediate government intervention.
S Rani, a CPM functionary, said, “Srirangam GH is vital for local residents, devotees and accident victims. Today, many patients who come here are being referred to MGMGH because the hospital lacks infrastructure to treat them.”
Years of repeated road-laying have also left the hospital campus nearly five feet below the adjoining road, resulting in frequent flooding during heavy rains, sources said.
“Wastewater is collected in pits, treated with bleaching powder and disinfectants, and pumped out manually. During heavy rains, sewage re-enters the campus. Even if a new building comes up, we will need a UGD system and an STP,” health department sources said.
Sources added that the hospital requires nearly `63 crore for infrastructure upgrades, including `3 crore for a UGD system and `5 crore for an STP. A proposal has also been sent to the Public Works Department seeking `55 crore to construct a 50-plus bed hospital block. The hospital also struggles with iron-rich borewell water and an ageing overhead water tank.
“Temporary repairs will not solve the problem, and patients should not continue to suffer because of decades of neglect,” said B Dharma, CPM’s Srirangam zonal secretary.
When contacted, Joint Director of Health Services GC Gopinatha said the department was addressing the issues while exploring the feasibility of identifying an alternative site for the hospital.