MADURAI: Female patients at the Thirumangalam Government Hospital in Madurai have raised serious concerns over the rampant mosquito menace on the premises, particularly around the 24-hour maternal care centre. The issue has persisted for over a year, with little to no resolution taken.
Located in the heart of Thirumangalam Taluk, the hospital caters to women from nearly 20 surrounding villages. However, the growing mosquito population is becoming a serious health and comfort issue for patients and their attendants.
“The maternal care centre draws large crowds throughout the day and night. While the medical treatment is satisfactory, the mosquito problem has made it unbearable, especially during the evenings,” said Muthupandi, an attendant of a patient. He blamed the unchecked accumulation of debris, dry leaves, and other broken branches within the premises as the major cause.
Rajalakshmi, a resident of Valayapatti who accompanied her daughter, said the problem worsens after sunset. “We can’t even sit in the verandah. Mosquitoes are everywhere. How can a medical facility become a hotspot for mosquito-borne diseases like malaria? It’s unacceptable,” she said.
Hospital sources acknowledged the severity of the issue, admitting that earlier suspicions pointed to on-site debris, but later understood that the root cause was due to a drainage channel behind the hospital premises. “We have informed the civic authorities multiple times.
Though fogging is done twice daily on request, the issue persists. We lack in-house fogging equipment, which makes timely intervention difficult,” said a senior hospital official. When TNIE tried to contact the health department and civic authorities, they were unavailable for a comment.