The dilapidated Varthur PHC building, which sees 100-200 people daily, is on the verge of collapse and patients are being treated in the open.
Less than 20 days after the first of three buildings in the city collapsed, it looks like the Varthur Primary Health Center (PHC) building may soon meet the same fate. Reason: The dilapidated building, which seems to be deteriorating due to incessant rains in the city for the past few days.
After several patients and staff were electrocuted touching the walls of the PHC, patients are now being treated outside the building. The workers are using wooden logs inside the building to prevent the building from collapsing. They have also cut off the power to make sure no one else gets the shock again.
Varthur resident and former panchayat member Vasudev P told that when he reached PHC on Wednesday OPD They were shifted outside the hospital and patients were being treated in the open. He said, “When I entered to take stock of the situation, I saw several wooden logs being placed to prevent the roof from collapsing. They have laid bricks under wooden logs to support the roof. Water was seeping from the roof and there was mold everywhere. I touched the wall and got an electric shock. I was really scared seeing the condition of the PHC and immediately came out to talk to the staff. The surgery table was shifted out. All the employees sitting there told me that they were feeling helpless about the whole situation. He told me that the wiring had come loose, which shocked people. We immediately disconnected the power and asked them to take up the issue with the higher authorities.”
Jagadish Reddy Varthur Rising He said that he had suffered a leg injury on Thursday and he decided to go to the PHC to get it checked. To their shock, the condition of the building was even worse. He said, “The building is very old and incessant rains may worsen the situation. I had raised this issue many times but the concerned authorities did not pay heed to it. The PHC is running even in this worse condition and it threatens the lives of not only the staff but also the patients coming to the hospital for treatment. This is the only primary health center in Varthur and a lot of people depend on it.
He said that the maternity hospital located on the other side of the PHC building is in good condition, but this hospital which is also treating Kovid patients will collapse. “They have set up a small shed next to the PHC where they are conducting vaccination camps and the staff are too scared to step inside,”
he said.
dilapidated exterior
M Venkat Reddy (52), a resident, said that around 100-200 people visit the PHC daily as most of the locals cannot afford to visit private hospitals. He said, “There are many laborers and many farmers in and around the village, who have no option but to go to the PHC risking their lives. I had gone to PHC a few days back to get my family vaccinated, only then saw the condition of the building. We are 20,000 people in our village alone and we have many marginal laborers who are totally dependent on PHC. We all depend on this hospital for the treatment of Kovid. It should be rebuilt immediately.”
Though the PHC officials wrote to the concerned authorities last month to highlight the issue, but the repair work has not started and the situation has worsened after incessant heavy rains in the last few days.
bbmp Special Commissioner (Health and Information Technology) Randeep D said that Varthur PHC and Maternity Center are under this state health department and not yet assigned to BBMP. He said, “We have asked the officials to check the condition of the building, and if it cannot afford, we will shift the patients to the nearby BBMP PHC or find a government building which can be converted into a PHC. could.”
an officer from health Department Told BM that PHC is currently being looked after by BBMP and officials are looking into the issue.
