Puri, June 2: Patients and attendants at the maternity and childcare hospital (MCH) on the premises of district headquarters hospital (DHH) have been facing drinking water problems for the past one month after two water purifiers installed near the ward developed technical glitches.
In the absence of any alternative arrangement, many patients admitted at the MCH have been collecting drinking water from a water purifier at the outpatient department (OPD) of the DHH. On the other hand, a few patients are forced to purchase drinking water from the market, sources said.
The state government had opened the MCH at a seven-storey building on the DHH premises a few years ago. Hospital authorities had installed two water purifiers at the building to provide drinking water to patients and attendants. However, the two water purifiers were later removed by the authorities over some issues.
Subsequently, the hospital authorities had installed two water purifiers outside the MCH to meet the drinking water needs of the patients. However, the two purifiers turned dysfunctional a month ago, sources said.
“My six-year-old son has been admitted to the MCH. There is no provision of drinking water facility at the hospital. We are being forced to collect drinking water from a purifier at the OPD by standing in a long queue,” said Hemant Swain, an attendant.
A few attendants, meanwhile, claimed that they have raised the drinking water issue with the hospital authorities several times but to no avail.
When contacted, chief district medical officer Haraprasad Pattnaik said they were taking steps to repair the two water purifiers outside the MCH.
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