JOIN USThe entrance to the district hospital is physical proof of the poor quality of work undertaken by local authorities.
The cement work on the road has cracked and an underground pipe has become exposed, creating a serious hazard for vehicle-users, pedestrians and patients entering the hospital premises.
Two-wheelers and even autorickshaw drivers are reluctant to approach the entrance as the pipe has already been responsible for two accidents involving motorcyclists who were thrown from their vehicles.
Those on foot are no more immune. Several incidents have been reported of pedestrians tripping and falling, many so seriously that they have become patients in the hospital.
A member of the staff described conditions at the hospital.
“It has two entrances, but one gate is always closed. One exit leads to a traffic ruckus so it is mostly closed. We only open it for people visiting the hospital. The other gate is always open to all kinds of vehicles. Ambulances are also forced to use the same entrance.
This has obviously increased the number of vehicles using the other entrance, which in turn, is the reason for accidents near the cement work near the gate. No amount of care on part of the vehicle-users seems sufficient to manage driving out safely, using the gate,” he said.
Speaking about the problem, Munikrishnappa, a farmer leader, said, “Many people use two or three wheelers to rush to the hospital during an emergency. Very often there are mishaps at the entrance, creating further problems for the injured or the ill. The patients even fall off the vehicles, aggravating their problems. If a person with a health issue is also physically injured in an accident right outside the hospital, who is answerable?”