For several days, patients and their families at Indira Gandhi Government Medical College and Hospital (IGGMCH), popularly known as Mayo Hospital, have been facing severe water shortages, adding to the challenges of their hospital stay. Each morning, family members of admitted patients can be seen roaming the hospital premises with empty bottles, desperately searching for water.
A recent survey of the hospital campus revealed that from the surgical building to various water points around the premises, taps were dry, and water coolers installed across the campus were out of service. The newly constructed four-story surgical building, equipped for surgeries and advanced patient care, had no running water on any floor. Although water coolers are installed on the ground floor, they too were found dry, leaving patients and their families with no access to basic facilities. Toilets in the building also lacked a water supply, compounding the issue.
Family members of patients in the maternity department reported similar struggles, as they moved around with bottles seeking water. Large water points near the building and by the blood bank were also dry. Social workers shared that they have raised complaints with the hospital administration, but no corrective action has been taken.
Outside the hospital entrance, several family members expressed frustration, explaining that the water scarcity, especially acute in the mornings, forces them to buy bottled water from outside. This is a difficult task, as they are reluctant to leave their loved ones unattended for long. Some families reported that they manage to find water from a cooler near the radiology department, though this cooler is primarily for use by an adjacent eatery.
The ongoing water crisis at IGGMCH continues to put a strain on patients and their caregivers, who hope for prompt action from hospital authorities to restore water access and improve their hospital experience.