Incomplete Shed Construction Puts Patients at Risk Amidst Sun and Rain
Bhagalpur: The situation at the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College and Hospital (JLNMCH), locally known as 'Mayaganj Hospital,' is once again under scrutiny. The construction of the shed outside the 'Fabricated Ward' of the Emergency Medicine Department has been lying incomplete for a long time. Due to this unfinished construction project, patients who are already battling serious illnesses, along with their families, are forced to bear the brunt of the hospital's mismanagement.
Helpless Patients, Further Burdened by Weather
There is no safe and covered pathway (corridor) within the hospital premises to travel from one ward to another. The work on the proposed shed outside the Emergency Medicine Ward has been stalled for months, leaving iron pillars exposed, which are now rusting. The situation is such that whenever a patient is moved from one ward to another for examinations or treatment on a stretcher or in a wheelchair, they are forced to pass under the open sky.
This problem became even more severe during the heavy rains on Monday. With no means to protect the patients from the rain, their family members were forced to rely on plastic sheets or bedspreads. There is a constant fear that the patients' conditions may deteriorate further due to the scorching heat and exposure to rain. Often, the staff transporting stretchers also narrowly avoid accidents due to slippery conditions.
The Pain of the Attendants
Family members accompanying the patients say that the hospital administration is indifferent to the convenience of the patients. One attendant shared, “The doctor sent us to another department for tests. It was raining so heavily outside that in an attempt to protect the patient from getting wet, we ourselves got drenched, and the patient's condition worsened. If the shed had been completed, we would not have had to face this trouble.”
According to sources within the hospital, the shed construction work is stalled due to administrative apathy and the negligence of the contractor. The hospital management has been made aware of this issue several times, but no concrete initiative has been taken to complete it so far. The situation is such that only the iron frame has been left standing in the name of construction, which could now prove dangerous from a safety perspective.
Administrative Stance
Regarding this matter, the Hospital Deputy Superintendent stated that the situation will be investigated and the obstacles in the construction work will be resolved soon. However, this is not the first time that questions have been raised regarding delays and mismanagement in construction projects at Mayaganj Hospital. Patients and local citizens have demanded that the corridor's construction work be completed as soon as possible to avoid such inconvenience in the future.
Mayaganj Hospital, being the largest referral hospital in the entire Bhagalpur division, this state of neglect casts a deep shadow of doubt on the functioning of the administration. Will the administration finally wake up from its slumber?
