Chennai: Facing floods, Government hospitals shift patients to safer buildings

Patients at KK Nagar Peripheral Hospital faced hardship, as several outpatient wards in the ground floor were flooded. Patients had to be shifted to the new block in the hospital on Thursday morning. Officials said three inpatients were discharged, while two others were moved to Royapettah GH.

Health secretary J Radhakrishnan inspected the hospital to take stock of the situation. The premises of Chrompet GH, which was severely affected during the 2015 floods, was also waterlogged on Thursday.

“Rainwater entered the hospital campus but the wards were safe unlike last time. The water is being pumped out and the inpatient services in the same block are running as usual,” said Dr S Palani, in-charge at the hospital.

The government TB Hospital that witnesses inundation every year started moving patients beforehand to prevent obstructions in running the usual services. “We pumped out the stagnant water on Tuesday itself and also moved patients from the wards to temporary wards to avoid any inconvenience. But all services were functional,” said Dr S Sridhar, head of Tuberculosis and Respiratory Department at the hospital.

Among other hospitals, the entrance of Government Kilpauk Medical College Hospital was flooded from the Directorate of Medical Education premises, because of which visitors had a tough time reaching the hospital. However, none of the wards were impacted due to the rain, officials said.