Patiala DC, Civil Surgeon, Principal Secretary put on notice after rat menace at Rajindra Hospital
The Punjab State Human Rights Commission (PSHRC) on Monday took suo motu cognisance of a report published in The Tribune about the menace of rats at the Government Rajindra Hospital in Patiala and issued notices to the authorities concerned seeking a reply on the “alarming situation”.
“Kindly find below suo motu orders passed by the commission based upon the news items published in leading daily under the title ‘Overrun by rats, Patiala’s Rajindra hospital turns to pied piper’.
It indicates that swarms of rodents have made the Government Rajindra Hospital, which is Punjab’s premier and busiest government hospital, and its vicinity their home, posing a serious threat to patients and their attendants,” read the notice.
The commission, comprising its Chairperson Justice Sant Parkash, has sought the report from the Punjab Principal Secretary of Health and the Patiala Deputy Commissioner and Civil Surgeon a week before the next date of hearing on January 22.
The Tribune had reported in its edition dated December 2, 2024, how Government Rajindra Hospital, one among Punjab's busiest government medical facilities and the first choice of people from the Malwa belt, needed a pied piper to tackle the rat menace.
Rodents have made the hospital and its vicinity their home, posing a serious threat to the patients, their attendants and the hospital staff.
The hospital would earlier hire an agency that would do some pesticide spraying for a month or two and after that the rats would be back again to haunt those visiting the hospital. The problem got more serious when rats dug deep burrows under the hospital building.
Of late, the hospital functionaries hired two contract killer agencies to ensure check on rats all through the year.
“Moving ahead with our plan, we have hired two private companies that have been given the contract to eliminate the rats altogether. The rodents have caused extensive damage to hospital property, government files and even electric wires,” said Dr Girish Sahni. “The contract is for one year and the work has already begun. Both companies will work on the premises and rats will be dealt with round the year,” Sahni told The Tribune.
