TIRUCHY: The incident of a 60-year-old post-operative patient bitten by a rat inside Ward 500 at Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital on Thursday has brought into focus the long-standing rodent menace that haunts patients and attendants in several parts of the hospital, many of which allegedly go unreported.
TNIE visited the hospital on Friday and found multiple rat burrows near the maternity and paediatric blocks, where rodents emerge in large numbers after dark and bite attendants sleeping in visitors’ shelters and open spaces. TNIE also noticed several burrows near Ward 500, opposite a construction workers’ shelter and behind the ward.
“No one sleeping in maternity and paediatric blocks has ever escaped the rats,” said S Kanagaraj (30) of Valanadu, who has been staying near the paediatric ward for over 10 days after his wife delivered a baby. He claimed that he was bitten while sleeping and received two anti-rabies injections.
S Soosairaj (44) of Gandhi Market said he too was bitten by a rat three days ago while staying at the hospital and taking care of his daughter. S Rajamani (54) of Viralimalai, whose daughter recently delivered of a baby, said attendants often leave food waste around the premises, attracting rodents. He also alleged that sanitation workers cleaned the area only after Thursday’s incident in Ward 500 went viral. Around 25 patients were shifted to facilitate civil works on Friday. Workers sealed holes in the flooring, blocked suspected rodent entry points and carried out pest-control measures.
Hospital officials said regular trapping and pest-control measures are being carried out and identified entry points, including AC openings and windows, have been sealed or blocked. However, they attributed the recurring problem to ongoing construction, structural gaps requiring maintenance by the Public Works Department and food waste discarded by patients and attendants. A senior hospital official said regular structural maintenance by PWD could address 70-80% of the problem.
A PWD official said building inspections and maintenance are carried out every month and repair works are undertaken based on the findings. However, he did not respond when asked why the menace still persists despite the periodic maintenance.
