The Hindu : ESI hospital backyard becoming a dumping ground

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jun 10, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Tamil Nadu-Chennai

ESI hospital backyard becoming a dumping ground

By R. Sujatha

CHENNAI JUNE 9. Hospital waste, such as test tubes and used plaster of Paris bandages, is being burnt along with domestic waste at the Ayanavaram Employees' State Insurance Corporation Hospital.

Medical waste and the rubbish generated by the families living on the campus are burnt along with plastic bags in the hospital's backyard. The ground around the cement bin is black with soot and ash, broken glass and half burnt plaster of Paris bandages. Nearby, is a rickety old, rusted iron gate, which is left ajar. Broken pieces of liquor bottles can be seen near the rear gate, which was once used to bring in the dead to the mortuary.

According to hospital authorities, the door serves the sanitary workers who use it to get to the road but other people also use it as a thoroughfare to drive through the hospital.

However, since the backyard has not been maintained, the now `defunct' mortuary is a convenient place to defecate, while a few other buildings, some of which are under lock and key, are used as rest houses by passers-by. Though the hospital has painted the pathway stones leading to the entrance to the sanitary staff quarters no attempt has been made to paint the compound wall there.

The outer compound walls leading into the South Street of Venkatesapuram Colony have also been neglected along with the few buildings in the hospital's backyard. The 16-acre complex houses doctors' and nurses quarters, and 55 houses for the class IV hospital employees.

People working in the shops nearby and some of those who live in Tiruvalluvar Nagar and Dr. Ambedkar Nagar behind the hospital, use the premises as a public convenience, residents allege. Teashop owners throw used water into the backyard at the end of the day. Meanwhile, the eastern portion of the hospital premises and the backyard of the doctors' quarters have become dumping sites for debris when construction work is taken up in neighbouring houses.

Representatives of the residents' association here said repeated requests to the hospital to paint the outer compound walls, have been in vain.

They said the Public Works Department, which took up the work, would not paint the walls since the request was not addressed to them. The residents then approached the PWD with a fresh request. This time, the hospital took refuge in the excuse that funds were insufficient.

Association members suggest that a compound wall replace the gate. Raising the height of the walls and embedding broken glass will deter people from scaling the wall.

The hospital staff admitted that they were aware of `anti-social elements' using the premises and said efforts were being made to bring in private security agencies to improve patrolling and maintenance of the premises. They have decided to tie up with the Exnora International to clear garbage, as Corporation employees come in only twice a week.

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