Chennai: The Government Kasturba Gandhi Hospital for Women and Children in Triplicane sees an average of 14,000 outpatients and 11,000 inpatients each month. However, the environment that greets them is far from welcoming. Broken glass bottles, discarded syringes, pipes, plywood pieces, and traces of burnt waste litter the campus.
Patient Experiences
Raji L, 63, an attender, was seen filling a five-liter water bottle at a nearby tea shop for her pregnant daughter, who was waiting for a check-up. “Waiting inside the block feels like a saucepan — hot and with no proper drinking water facility,” she said.
Santhosh M, who works at a mobile phone shop, brought his wife for her second pregnancy. “The hospital has the best doctors, which is why we have come here. But the facilities need to be better,” he stated. He recounted an incident where a dog became aggressive while they were resting on the campus with their seven-year-old daughter. “A watchman shooed it away,” he added.
Official Response
A hospital official explained that drinking water facilities and additional seating would be provided wherever feasible once construction is complete. “Since the gates remain open, stray dogs enter the campus. Even after approaching the civic body, there has not been an adequate response to the issue,” the official said.
Most floors have inadequate seating, with some having none at all. In March this year, a multi-storey building was inaugurated by the then deputy chief minister, Udhayanidhi Stalin. However, while the ground floor is in use, the upper two floors remain vacant.
A senior health official stated that shifting into the new building is not yet complete, and the full building will be operational within a month. He noted that construction debris remains on the campus because work is still underway on two blocks — one medical and one administrative.
Despite filthy floors and toilets, patients and attenders are required to remove their footwear and walk barefoot. A doctor commented, “Footwear is recommended except for restricted sterile zones.”
About the Author
Tarika Balakannan is a reporter based in Madurai, covering education, health, and corporation matters. Born in the hills, she has spent most of her life in Madras and enjoys storytelling through photographs and films.
