A case of gross negligence has come to light during the ongoing construction work at the Jai Prakash (JP) District Hospital premises in the State capital. While drain construction and road repair work are underway in the hospital complex, the main drinking water pipeline was damaged due to the carelessness of the contractor and labourers. Following the pipeline burst, litres of drinking water went to waste and began accumulating on the premises during this period of scorching summer heat. On one hand, citizens and patients in the hospital are struggling and distressed for water, while on the other, such waste due to the oversight of the responsible administration raises serious questions about the management. According to information gathered from the spot, excavation work for the drain construction was being carried out on the hospital premises. The pipeline suddenly broke during the work at around 3 pm, which was ignored at that time. Later, at around 5 pm, when water was released through the taps under the hospital’s water supply system, a massive amount of water began gushing out rapidly from the broken pipeline. In no time, the water spread across the hospital premises. The most surprising element was that several administrative and medical staff members of the hospital kept passing by the area, but no one bothered to stop the wastage of water or inform the concerned department.

 

Notably, this is not the first time JP Hospital is facing a water-related issue. Even before this, acute water crises have been witnessed on the hospital premises multiple times, causing severe hardships to the admitted patients and their attendants. Failing to maintain safety standards during construction work in such a sensitive area highlights the sheer carelessness. Speaking about this mismanagement during the ground report, Chintu, an attendant of a patient admitted to the hospital, said, “We are wandering around the wards just to get drinking water, while here, water is flowing openly on the road. The biggest concern is that no one is even paying attention to this.” Meanwhile, Saurabh, who had come to the hospital for his mother’s treatment, expressed his anger towards the hospital administration, stating, “The administration is carrying out construction work, but none of the arrangements have been maintained properly. On top of that, water is being wasted in this extreme heat, whereas there are only two water coolers in the hospital for drinking water, which do not even function properly and occasionally dispense warm water.” When The Hitavada team spoke to the hospital’s Civil Surgeon, Dr Sanjay Jain, regarding this matter, he stated that the municipal corporation has been informed about the damage caused to the pipeline during the construction work on the hospital premises, and as soon as their team arrives here, it will be repaired.