WARANGAL: A cobra made a guest appearance at the radiology department of the state-run Mahatma Gandhi Memorial (MGM) Hospital in Warangal on Friday morning, sending patients and attendants scrambling for safety.
The snake slithered onto the scene right as patients and their families had assembled for medical procedures — because who wouldn’t want their X-ray accompanied by a touch of wildlife adventure? On spotting the cobra, panic predictably ensued, with people bolting out of the room, presumably deciding that untreated ailments were preferable to sharing space with the reptile.
Hospital security and sanitation staff were alerted — because they’re clearly the go-to team for anything from mopping floors to managing unexpected zoological events. The security team called in a snake catcher, and the reptile was safely removed. Hospital staff then coaxed the shaken public back in, presumably with assurances that the next creature encounter wasn’t scheduled until next week.
For those keeping count, this isn’t the hospital’s first serpentine or rodent incident. A snake was previously seen in the female ward — a charming precedent that somehow failed to result in meaningful preventive action. In March 2022, a critically ill 42-year-old patient was left to his fate as rodents crawled over him and bit off pieces of flesh from his legs.
Patients and attendants have raised complaints about snake sightings, but say the hospital’s response has hovered somewhere between mild indifference and hopeful inaction that the reptiles might just leave on their own.
Chronic staff shortage is the bane of MGM
MGM Hospital, proudly standing as one of North Telangana’s largest government healthcare facilities, continues to battle chronic staff shortages — especially in sanitation and maintenance, which might explain the thriving ecosystem of bushes surrounding key wards. These green patches, left to their own devices, have reportedly become prime snake real estate.
As if snakes weren’t enough, the hospital has also faced structural hiccups recently, including casual roof collapses.
MGM Hospital’s in-charge superintendent Dr K Kishore Kumar was unavailable for comment despite repeated attempts.