MADURAI: The presence of stray dogs on the premises of the Government Rajaji Hospital (GRH) has been posing a constant threat to patients, medical staff and doctors, many of whom claim the animal menace continues unabated despite the corporation's coordinated efforts to control it.
The hospital administration said the animals manage to slip back into the 12-acre facility, which has five entrances and a dozen buildings, despite the presence of security personnel.
A Moorthy, attendant of a patient, said, "Anyone stepping into the GRH will notice dogs roaming along the ground-floor corridors of all the blocks. I have spotted dogs outside the siddha care clinic, pharmacy, car parking, canteen and the pediatric ward of the facility.
Elderly patients and children are intimidated by the presence of the stray animals in the corridors of the cardiology and cardiovascular wards in the old block. When flagged, sanitary staff manage to chase the animals away, but the dogs move to another ward."
Ravichandran, a relative of a patient, said, "The facility is vast and the animals hide behind structures, water tanks and waiting rooms." He added that no coordinated effort has been made by the security personnel to keep the issue in check.
A medical staff said, "Distraught by the issue, we lodged a complaint with top officers. However, despite action, we spot new dogs in the facility within a week. Unfortunately, no untoward incident has been reported inside the medical institution so far," adding the staff have been threatened by the presence of the stray dogs.
Calling it a tedious issue, GRH resident medical officer (RMO) Dr S Saravanan told TNIE, "We submitted a letter to the civic authorities last month, and some dogs were caught.
There are five entrances to the facility, and despite the presence of security personnel, these dogs manage to enter the institution after evening. Besides, some attendants of patients even feed leftovers, which has resulted in the dogs surviving within the premises. We will once again resolve the issue with the help of civic authorities."
An official from Madurai City Corporation said, "Four months ago, upon request, we conducted a four-day dog catching drive, where around 25 dogs were caught. A month ago, eight more dogs were caught in a separate drive," assuring that the civic body would conduct another drive.