The Hindu : Front Page : ‘Poor’ quality of construction plagues children’s hospital

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‘Poor’ quality of construction plagues children’s hospital

Sudipto Mondal

Leaking roof, fungal growth greet patients at the speciality centre

Building was constructed by Infosys Foundation
‘Administration responsible for bad maintenance’

— Photo: Sudipto Mondal

Bad shape: The leak in the roof of the surgeons’ washroom at the Regional Advanced Paediatric Care Centre in Mangalore has led to fungal growth.

MANGALORE: A speciality paediatric hospital that is meant to provide medical care to children of seven nearby districts appears to have run aground even before being formally inaugurated.

The district health administration is unable to make the Regional Advanced Paediatric Care Centre fully operational because of the “sub-standard” quality of construction.

“People often blame the Government for being inefficient. But this time, it is a private corporation that has proven to be inefficient,” a senior district health official told The Hindu. The building for the centre was constructed by the Infosys Foundation at Rs. 5.9 crore and handed over to the Government.

“It looks like a juicy fruit from the outside but it is all rotten inside,” said a staffer of the newly constructed building situated on the campus of the District Wenlock Hospital.

The Government has furnished the operation theatre and the Neo-Natal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) with sophisticated equipment purchased at a cost of Rs. 2.5 crore. But despite an ever-growing waiting list of patients, both the sections remain shut.

The roof of the washroom for surgeons adjoining the operation theatre and the surgical equipment storage room have developed leaks and this has resulted in dense fungal growth. “The chance of children contracting infections in such an environment is high,” a nurse said.

Not much different is the condition of the washroom for doctors and the baby-feeding room attached to the NICU. The nurse said that there was the danger of short circuits because of the leaks.

The NICU has other problems too. The sink at the doctors’ washroom, which is supposed to be made of surgical steel, is made of ceramic. “Ceramic sinks cannot be sterilised easily,” says a senior doctor.

Fungus

Proof of the “rot” is right at the entrance. The ceiling of the reception area has large patches of fungus. Further indoors, it turns out that the entire building is full of fungal patches. The air-conditioner at the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) is not working. Children, who are in critical condition, could be seen sweating and writhing in discomfort because of the heat.A doctor at the PICU says, “This is the first air-conditioner we have started using. We do not know what will happen when we start using the others.”

The plumbing work too is poor and all the taps in the building are leaking. The septic chambers recently burst, and many power plug points, fans and switches are not working.

The window panes of the Out Patient Department, Burns Ward, doctors’ discussion room and the laboratory are broken. When the power goes off and the generator is pressed into service, some of the life-saving equipment and the lift stop working, say staff members.

What has added to the woes of the district health officials is the impending inauguration of the centre by Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa.

Sources said that the Chief Minister would inaugurate the hospital soon after he returns from his tour of the United States. District Surgeon J. Prabhudeva said, “We cannot even take up the matter with the Infosys Foundation seriously. We do not want to come across as ungrateful but this is not what we expected.” The health administration has been receiving flak for not making the hospital fully operational, he added.

Bad maintenance

Suresh Babu, architect of the building, said that the district administration was responsible for “bad” maintenance. Repair work would be taken up immediately, he said.

When contacted, the Infosys Foundation said that the officials were on tour.

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