Water cut forcing Sassoon docs to put patients' lives in danger

Thanks to the water cut implemented by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), the Sassoon General Hospital staff is having a tough time accomplishing daily chores, including mopping the floors, pre and post-operation activities, among others

Thanks to the water cut implemented by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), the Sassoon General Hospital staff is having a tough time accomplishing daily chores, including mopping the floors, pre and post-operation activities, among others.

Currently, the hospital is being supplied about five lakh litres of water a day, which is exactly half of its requirement of around 10 lakh litres.

In addition, several surgeries had to be rescheduled due to low availability of water.

Risky affair: Doctors say that the water cut has forced them to compromise on cleanliness, which can have serious repercussion; add that even their own health is at risk. Representation pic

“We need a lot of water during deliveries and operations. But due to the water cut, we are forced to compromise on cleanliness. This can lead to serious complications. Even our health is at risk. We need to wash our hands every now and then, but currently it’s impossible. Who will take the responsibility if the doctors fall sick?” questioned a doctor from the gynaecology department.

The 1,296-bed government hospital is the biggest tertiary care centre, treating patients not only from the entireu00a0district, but also those coming from Solapur, Satara, Sangli and other nearby regions.

On deaf ears
“For the past one month, we have been facing a crisis due to water cuts implemented by the PMC. Three weeks ago, we had written a letter to the civic body asking it to address the issue, but to no avail. We have to depend on water tankers and borewells. Moreover, we cannot mix soft water (supplied by the PMC) with hard borewell water and therefore the only option left is water tankers. Last March, we had requested the civic authorities to set up a borewell connection as an alternative, but even that request seems to have fallen on deaf ears,” said D G Kulkarni, medical superintendent, Sassoon
hospital.u00a0

The other side
“Though there is a shortage of water in the city, I have asked my department to ensure that Sassoon gets water tankers whenever needed. Besides, some people have the habit of complaining and blaming others. I have asked hospital authorities to repair their storage tank on several occasions as a lot of water is wasted due to leakage, but in vain,” said PMC water chief V G Kulkarni.

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