Indore: Acute Water Shortage At MTH Hospital Sparks Junior Doctors' Protest Over Hygiene & Patient Care

Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Acute water scarcity at Maharaja Tukojirao Holkar (MTH) Hospital, associated to MGM Medical College, has created severe hardships for doctors and patients alike. The scarcity has reached to such an extent that doctors cannot wash their blood-soaked hands post-surgery, prompting junior doctors to stage a protest at the Dean's office, on Monday.

One of the agitating junior doctors highlighted the dire conditions and said, ‘All the hospital toilets are clogged. There is no water for patients' basic needs. The limited water supply lasts only half-an-hour. We are forced to use spirit or sanitisers for hand hygiene before surgeries and there is no water to clean our hands during operations.’ Dr Anjali said, patients too are deprived of drinking water. ‘We had discussed the issue with the Dean, who assured them of a resolution soon and mentioned the imminent arrival of three water tankers,’ she said.

Meanwhile, Dr Zeba, secretary of the Junior Doctors’ Association, echoed the concerns, saying, ‘Our shifts last 24 to 36 hours, most of which we spend at the hospital. Due to the water shortage, we can't even wash our hands to eat. This problem has persisted for over a month and intensified in the past 15 days.’ She added that despite multiple complaints, no solution has been found. ‘If the issue isn't resolved, we will strike work as the crisis poses an infection risk to both patients and doctors. Patients can't even urinate due to the same, risking kidney failure,’ she added.

Over 50 deliveries take place everyday

MTH Hospital serves patients from Indore and surrounding districts including Barwani, Dhar, Ratlam, Ujjain, Khandwa, Alirajpur and Jhabua. The hospital handles approximately 50 deliveries, 60 to 70 new admissions and around 300 outpatient visits daily. The water shortage has been attributed to a lapse in the Municipal Corporation's water supply.

Contacted Municipal Corporation, issue to be resolved soon

‘We have contacted the officials of Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) for water supply. Some water tankers have arrived and more are expected soon. This should resolve the water problem. We are also ensuring permanent solution.’

Dr Sanjay Dixit, Dean, MGM Medical College