CHENNAI: Heavy rains that lashed the city on Thursday flooded several hospitals and primary health centres in Chennai. Government Peripheral Hospital at KK Nagar, Chrompet and Tambaram government hospitals, and a section of Kilpauk Medical College had anywhere from ankle to knee-deep water by Thursday morning.
“Water has been gushing inside with full force from around 3 am on Thursday. I was lying on a mattress and got completely soaked. I immediately shouted for help. The staff did their best to help each patient, but the fear only exacerbated our existing medical condition,” said one of the patients at KK Nagar Peripheral hospital.
From the Chrompet government hospital, over 100 patients were moved to Tamil Nadu Government Multi Super Speciality Hospital and Government Kasturba Gandhi Hospital for Women and Children after most of the wards were flooded. A nurse said, “Patients started panicking after the water level rose overnight. There is a fear of infection too as the water was mixed with sewage. A few patients even refused to get out of their beds as they feared drowning.” Hospital authorities said all the patients are safe and stable. Every time it rains, their premise gets flooded, they added.
Similarly, the patients at neuro ward at Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital were shifted to other wards after water entered the campus. Here too, patients have been reported safe. Like every year, Government TB Hospital at Tambaram got flooded. “We have been requesting to shift the hospital because even the access roads to the hospital get flooded easily. Out-patient services have remain affected for more than a week now,” said an attendant to one of the patients, P Usha.
Water also entered the premises of ESI hospital at KK Nagar. A spokesperson from the hospital confirmed that all facilities, including Covid-19 wards, were operational throughout the day. “Roadside eateries, mobile repair shops and even an Amma Unavagam have been functioning over manholes at Anna Main Road in KK Nagar. ESI hospital is situated on the same stretch. It has been more than two decades since any of these manholes have been cleaned, as they are located inside the shops. This is one of the major causes of flooding in the area,” said V Gopalakrishnan, a resident.
However, the Institute of Child Health (ICH) campus in Egmore, that often gets flooded, was in a better position on Thursday. They had installed high power motors to clear rainwater. As a result, it did not cause much hindrance to the patients on Thursday. Though officials from the Health Department said heavy motors have been arranged at major hospitals to avoid discomfort, all it took was one good spell to discover the amount of work done.