Every dark cloud has a silver lining. Often times, we miss it. Sometimes, we see it and take heart from the fact. Those who depend on the Government Peripheral Hospital near Udayam theatre see a silver lining in the cataclysmic floods of 2015.
Residents of many localities, notably Ashok Nagar, K.K. Nagar, Jafferkhanpet, Nesapakkam, Saidapet, Guindy and Vadapalani, visit this four-storey, 100-bed hospital. According to hospital authorities, every day, on an average, over 100 patients visit the facility. So, the hospital has always been busy, except for one week in December 2015.
That was because this medical facility on Anna Main Road in K.K. Nagar lacked in anti-flooding features.
Due to heavy flooding of its premises, services at the hospital were hit -- only absolutely essential services for the benefit of in-patients were maintained with great hardship.
These was waist-deep water on the ground floor and patients were shifted to the first floor. The storeroom for medicines was flooded. As a result, a pharmacy providing free medicines to out-patients was closed. Electricity supply was cut to prevent accidental electrocution.
During the week, the hospital relied on an old diesel-run generator.
The 2015 floods was a clarion call for hospital authorities and they responded to it. Over the last two years, efforts have been taken to improve conditions at the hospital, especially with a view to prevent flooding.
First up, the floor of the hospital was raised above the existing road level. Now, the circumvent area of the main building of the hospital up to the main entrance is around 1.5-feet higher than the existing road level, which ensures that rainwater does not enter the main building of the hospital. Thick concrete flooring has been laid on the circumvent area to prevent the floor from getting washed away due to heavy rain.
The surface on the ground floor of the main building has also been raised with tiled flooring.
Wiring in the electrical system, including switchboards and plug points, has been overhauled.
The rainwater harvesting system has also been improved by connecting the water pipes from the hospital terrace to the stormwater drains.
“The hospital also has power back-up with new generators.
Cold storage has also been provided for certain life-saving drugs,” says a duty doctor at the hospital.
>> Other monsoon-related stories on pages 2 and 3
