PUDUKKOTTAI: Waiting in the hall of the 150-year-old Ranee's Government Hospital during downpour is akin to getting drenched since it cannot keep rainwater from entering the building, a petition submitted recently highlighted. In addition to this, patients and their attenders suffer due to the limited seating space.
Thus, activists have demanded that the building be renovated and the number of seats is increased. RGMH witnesses footfall from Pudukkottai, Sivagangai, Pattukottai and Karaikudi districts, and is a preferred destination for maternal and infant care.
Despite helping deliver 15 to 20 babies daily, the facility has got only one waiting hall. Though it can accommodate over 50 attendees, only 20 persons can avail the space. Activist K Anbuchelvam, who submitted a petition in this regard to District Collector IS Mercy Ramya, told TNIE, "Recently, I went to the hospital as my relative was there to deliver their child.
We kept our things in the waiting hall, all of which were damaged in a fraction of a second after rainfall. The entire hospital has only one waiting room that too, with limited chairs." "Moreover, there are no charging facilities and the nearby shops charge Rs 10 for a phone. The hospital also lacks hot water services.
We get it either from the nearby tea shop, or the hotels around, and luckily they don't charge for it," he added. In light of approaching rains, Anbuchelvam, in his petition, urged that the waiting hall be renovated.
When contacted, a senior official from the hospital told TNIE, "We have already alerted the medical PWD about the request, and the renovation works will start soon. As far as hot water availability is concerned, almost all major wards provide hot water facilities, however, I shall check whether they are in working condition."