KARAIKAL: A 41-year-old COVID patient, who was getting treatment at Karaikal Government General Hospital, suffered minor injury on his head after pieces of the ceiling fell on him around 8 am on Sunday. There are about 40 patients along with him in the isolation ward in the old building.
“I was fast asleep when pieces of the ceiling fell on me. I was shocked and so were everyone in the room. On knowing this, few nurses rushed to attend me, “said V Ganeshbabu (41), who has been getting treatment for the last two days.
He added that his fellow patients helped him move the bed away from the debris and was given treatment in the same bed for sometime. Later, health service officials shifted him and all the others to another building.
P Chithra, Chief Medical Superintendent of the hospital, told TNIE, “It is not possible to shift the entire ward at the moment. We had accommodated COVID patients only after checking the stability of the building with the PWD officials. When we brought the issue to their notice, they said that the portion of plaster might have remained less visible in the ceiling.” It is worthy to note that the injured patient himself is a PWD employee. The doctors said that his health condition is stable and he needed only dressing for the injury.
The incident went viral on social media with the public criticising poor maintenance of the hospital. “We had demanded not set up a COVID ward in that old building months ago. Toilets were not usable, the building was in dilapidated condition and lacked basic amenities. But, the health services accommodated COVID patients in it due to heavy inflow of patients.
Now, it is proven that the building can endanger people’s lives. At least now, the officials should learn a lesson and make sure such incidents do not happen in the future,” said A Vengadesh, General Secretary of Karai Sirgagugal Iyakkam. Note: TNIE has sought permission from the patient to use his name, details and his picture for the report.
State reports 5,791 Covid-19 cases
Among the deaths reported on Sunday, three did not have comorbidities. A 30-year-old woman from Karur was the youngest Covid patient to die without comorbid conditions. The woman was admitted to Karur Medical College Hospital on September 24. She died due to Covid-pneumonia, acute respiratory failure and acute respiratory distress syndrome