Overrun by rats, Patiala’s Rajindra hospital turns to pied piper

The authorities at Government Rajindra Hospital, one of Punjab’s premier and busiest government medical facilities, are at their wits’ end over the rising menace of rodents on the premises.

Swarms of rodents have made the hospital and its vicinity their home, posing a serious threat to the patients and their attendants, besides the hospital’s medical equipment and power cables.

The authorities have tried hiring a pest control agency a couple of times. But it worked only for a few weeks every time, after which rats would return to haunt the hospital staffers and patients.

The problem has now assumed alarming proportion with rats digging deep burrows under the hospital building and damaging its paraphernalia. “You can see rodents moving freely in every corner of the hospital. It is a nightmare for patients and their attendants to spend even a single night here,” said Parkash Thapa, whose relative is undergoing treatment at the facility.

A doctor said, “Rats have become a major hurdle in day-to-day functioning of the hospital. Their number has risen due to mushrooming of illegal dhabas nearby and consumption of food by patients’ attendants on the premises.”

A deceased patient’s attendant said they had to make sure that the mortuary room was kept locked because of the fear of rats entering the room and feeding on human flesh.

With no pied piper to help them out, the authorities have hired two agencies to eliminate hundreds of rodents that have dug deep burrows under the British-era hospital building.

Talking to The Tribune, Dr Girish Sahni, medical superintendent, said, “The rats have to be eliminated altogether. For this, we have hired two private companies. The rodents have already caused extensive damage to the hospital property and important government files and record.” “The contract is for one year and the work has already begun. Both companies will work on the premises round the year,” Dr Sahni said.

The rat-killing teams will cover the entire hospital premises, both covered and open. A senior official said, “The firms will prepare edible items to kill the rodents. The ingredients of such items will be according to guidelines of the World Health Organisation (WHO). The firms will also adopt methods to ensure the problem doesn’t arise again.”

Haunting patients, damaging infra

• Swarms of rodents have made the hospital and its vicinity their home
• Besides posing a threat to patients, rats are damaging medical equipment and power cables
• The hospital authorities have now hired two agencies for a year to eliminate rodents