Patients visiting the ESIC Hospital in Worli have to contend with damp walls, peeled ceilings, dirty toilets, and broken taps and windows, making it a scary experience. The three-storey hospital gets patients from various parts of the State.
Upon entering the hospital, the ground floor looks in fine fettle. But as one climbs up, the poor shape of the infrastructure becomes evident. While rooms on the first floor are locked, two wards, one for men and one for women, function on the second floor, apart from two operation theatres and a labour room. The third floor has been handed over to an agency, though a few administrative offices remain.
“When mills were up and running, this place did not have much vacant space. Now, patient flow has reduced,” Ravindra Gandhi, a resident of Dadar, whose relative is a patient, said. “It looks like they have ignored maintenance for some time now. Two days ago, I was sitting on the stairway and a ward boy cautioned me: ‘ yaha mat baithna, pata nahin yeh kab gir jayega (Don’t sit here, you never know when it comes falling down)’,” Mr. Gandhi said.
Bansinath Gavale, whose relative was referred to Worli ESIC from Jalgaon, said, “When you cannot afford private hospitals, you have no other option. The doctors are brilliant, and patients are looked after very well. It is the infrastructure that is in poor shape,” he said.
Hospital authorities said fire safety measures have been in place for years and repair work is under way on the third floor. “We have recently done a fire safety audit this year and have put up 27 fire extinguishers at various spots,” an official from the hospital told The Hindu . The official said the hospital has submitted the repair and maintenance proposal to the Public Works Department.
