GUNTUR: In the wake of incidents of rodents biting patients in Guntur Government General Hospital (GGH), besides spotting of snakes there, the district administration has launched a special drive to clean up the premises of the hospital.
On August 26, a ten-day-old baby boy had died after being bitten by rats in the intensive care unit of the hospital. "A boy died at the hospital last month and there could be many reasons behind it, but rat bite was the main reason. On September 19, a small snake was also found in radiology ward in the same hospital," Guntur District Collector Kantilal Dande said.
Following this incident, last week an elderly woman undergoing treatment in the orthopaedic ward of the hospital also claimed that she suffered a rat bite. The District Collector, who visited the hospital on Tuesday, ordered a special 72-hour sanitation drive-- 'Operation GGH-Sanitise the Hospital'-- to improve the sanitation and infrastructure facilities in the GGH.
As part of this special operation that began yesterday, around 500 sanitation workers are conducting clean up in 50 blocks of the hospital spread over 13 acres. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu is scheduled to visit the hospital on October 2.
Andhra Pradesh Health Minister K Srinivas had sought a report from the hospital in this regard and an inquiry was ordered into the death of the newborn. YSR Congress has also demanded a high-level probe into the incident.