- Superintendent reacts defensively
Bhopal: Patients undergoing treatment at the Jai Prakash (JP) District Hospital are facing acute distress due to the lack of basic facilities, particularly clean drinking water.
A Navbharat/Central Chronicle reporter’s visit to the hospital’s B Block revealed alarming conditions. Multiple patients confirmed they have been admitted for days but have found no access to clean drinking water within the wards. They are forced to rely on expensive bottled water purchased from outside.
On the third floor of B Block, the water cooler was found defunct and a tap was broken. Patients on the first and second floors reported similar predicaments, stating they either bring water from home daily or purchase it.
Worse still, when the Navbharat/Central Chronicle reporter attempted to seek clarification on these failures, Hospital Superintendent Dr. Sanjay Jain reacted defensively. Instead of addressing the crisis, he abruptly ended the call, questioning the reporter: “Why did you come to the hospital, and why did you talk to the patients?” The incident highlights a severe failure in patient care and management accountability.
= Hospital Distress: Patients and relatives struggle for clean drinking water
Relatives of admitted patients and the patients themselves have raised serious complaints regarding the availability of drinking water in the hospital. They allege that clean and potable water is unavailable on the premises, forcing them to either bring/buy water from outside or consume dirty water.
= Vidya Dhanke, Shiv Nagar Colony: “My nephew has been admitted for four days. When I first came, there was no clean drinking water. The tap outside the building is so dirty; I don’t feel like drinking it. That’s why we bring water from home every day.”
= Munni Devi, Arjun Nagar: “I am elderly and have great difficulty climbing and descending stairs. There is no water on this floor. I asked several people, and they all directed me downstairs, but it is extremely dirty there too. I am forced to fill up and drink that water.”
= Lakhan Maurya, Tulsi Tower: “There are two water coolers downstairs. One is so dirty it’s unusable. We fill up from the second one, but even there, water often doesn’t come. That’s why we now get water sent from home.”
= Narottam Singh Rajput, Trilanga Chauraha: “I have been admitted for 10 days. There is no cleanliness near the tap; it is filthy. I don’t feel like drinking the water. I fear it might cause more health issues. Therefore, I am buying and drinking water from outside.”
