Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

MCH sports a cleaner look

Thiruvananthapuram: The inside of the medical college hospital now wears a much cleaner and well-scrubbed look, thanks to the efforts of the housekeeping cell which has been set up here.

The housekeeping cell, headed by a technical assistant with 10 health inspectors and a band of cleaning staff, has been doing wonders at the hospital, according to a senior MCH functionary.

Setting up of these cells in all major hospitals was one of the main steps initiated by the Health Minister in the wake of the hospital infection episode at SAT hospital last May, so that cleaning activities were properly supervised and done in a systematic manner.

“The Dr. Pai Commission report, submitted in the 70s itself, had clearly stated that all sanitation and hospital cleaning activities should be brought under a housekeeping group and that they should be given special orientation for this.

All 201 cleaning staff in MCH have been brought directly under the housekeeping cell and they work in shifts so that all wards are mopped at least thrice a day,” MCH superintendent A. Nizaruddin, said.

Earlier, the cleaning staffs were managed by nursing superintendents who were already overburdened with patient care activities and supervision of nurses. Often, cleaners were left to the job by themselves.

The housekeeping cell has ensured that cleaning is done in a scientific and systematic manner and that there is more accountability.

“The effect can be seen clearly inside the wards and is much appreciated by doctors, nurses and the visitors. Floors were cleaned with acid and one could see years of accumulated grime and old chewing gum patches coming off. Those on the night shift have been specifically asked to wake up those sleeping on the floor early and to finish mopping by 7 a.m. so that when the doctors come for rounds at 8 a.m., the wards are clean,” the technical assistant heading the cell, Vijayakumar, said.

All 24 wards, operation theatres, and intensive care units are kept clean in the same manner.

It is pointed out that the staff shortage in MCH is one of the major problems affecting the efficiency of cleaning.

About 50 per cent of the posts of nursing assistants are vacant and hence the Grade II workers who do the cleaning are often used to fill those gaps.

Vijayakumar said that with adequate cleaning staff, MCH can be kept as clean as any major private hospital here. The cell is also in charge of campus cleaning and waste management.

The cell has also started a poster and information campaign in the hospital exhorting people to keep the hospital clean.

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