McGann Hospital faces shortage of water supply, badly affecting patients, routine operations

Shivamogga

The shortage of water supply at the McGann Teaching District Hospital and Shivamogga Institute of Medical Sciences has badly affected the patients, doctors, staff members, and students.

The scenario was so bad that the medical practitioners were forced to reschedule treatment and surgical procedures. The staff at the central laboratory on the campus have reduced the number of samples taken for tests. The students avoided going to washrooms as there was no water supply.

The administration has blamed the Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Drainage Board (KUWS&DB) for the delay.

The campus, which is spread over 63 acres at the heart of the city, needs 12 lakh litres of water a day. On average, 1,000 patients are admitted to the hospital every day, and around 3,000 get consultations with doctors at the outpatient dispensaries. There are around 1,200 staff members and about 1,000 medical and nursing students on campus.

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Dr. T.D. Thimmappa, Medical Superintendent, said, “We are struggling hard with the lack of water. The administration is in consultation with the district officials and other officers concerned to ensure the supply is in tune with our requirements.”

When The Hindu visited the campus on Thursday, the students and the patients shared the difficulties they were facing in this situation. There was no supply of water in the toilets meant for patients and caretakers. The staff members at the laboratory had stopped collecting urine samples for tests to avoid patients visiting the toilets with no water supply.

Dr. P. Siddanagouda, District Surgeon, said,” We have been facing a shortage of water supply for the last one-and-a-half months. We are not getting even half of our total requirement. Earlier, we used to get a supply of water for three hours both in the morning and evening. Now, we get the supply only once a day. We have no pending bills to clear.”

The administration has no alternative source of water on the campus. The borewells drilled by the college do not fulfill the requirement.

The district surgeon said that they were making all efforts to ensure the routine operations were not affected, adding that the KUWS&DB has taken up work to lay the pipeline, and the work is not going at a fast pace.

Published - December 26, 2024 07:10 pm IST