Railway Hospital could do with a ‘Pied Piper’

Rats have a free run at the hospital managed by SCR and visitors feel they could end up transmitting diseases, while authorities are at their wits’ end

Hyderabad: When you visit the Railway Hospital at Lalaguda, it is not just doctors and nurses who are at work, but many more rats as well. Unmindful of the presence of people in the wards, they roam around freely in search of food and other particles and create nuisance for patients.

Though the four-storied hospital is maintained well, rat menace has been troubling the patients and doctors. The rodent population has been only increasing and complaints are pouring in from the patients and their attendants everyday.

“I was admitted for a surgery and got scared noticing the free run of rats. Hospital staff and fellow patients said it was common,” says Ruksana, a patient, even while shuddering at the thought. The hospital is equipped with many departments and complaints about rat menace are a regular feature in all the floors.

But the surgical ward tops them all. “It’s scary to see rats roaming under your beds, over the ceiling at night and at times even over you,” Naaz, a patient said. Patients and their attendants charge that complaints about the rat menace to hospital authorities fell on deaf ears.

Admitting that rats could transmit diseases and pose other problems as well, hospital authorities claimed that the root cause for the rat menace is the false ceiling.

“We are placing rat mats and taking up other measures to curb the menace. We are also planning to hire private contractors to get rid of the rodents menace,” said a hospital authority.