Pune: Unhygienic Conditions Plague Yerawada Mental Hospital, MLA Bapusaheb Pathare Steps In | Sourced
The cleanliness work at the Yerawada Regional Mental Hospital (RMH) has been impacted for the past six months after nearly 80 housekeeping staffers were laid off by the new contractor. The shortage of Class IV workers has affected the cleanliness of wards. The newly elected MLA Bapusaheb Pathare, from Pune’s Vadogon Sheri Assembly constituency, visited the hospital premises on November 28, raised concerns about the pathetic condition of the hospital, and assured patients and their relatives that the issue would be addressed. Meanwhile, the public health department issued a notice to Aundh District Hospital (ADH) directing the deployment of 15 workers from ADH to RMH starting November 30.
Speaking to The Free Press Journal, Surendra Pathare, son of Bapusaheb Pathare, said, “We raised this issue a few days ago. The contractor here is exploiting the workers and making the Class IV workers perform clerical work. The workers who have been working here for almost 15 years are being replaced, and there’s no streamlined payment process. They pay them less than the market rate. We have promised patients, their relatives, and workers that something would be done in this regard, and the cleaning staff has already been deployed.”
City activists alleged that the hospital was unhygienic due to filth everywhere in the absence of cleaning workers and because of ongoing corrupt practices. Sharad Shetty, a health activist, said, “The unhygienic conditions in the hospital are a direct result of the hospital administration’s corrupt practices. Keeping patients who are unaware of their surroundings in such filth is a violation of human rights. It endangers the health of mentally ill patients. All responsible individuals involved in this negligence should be suspended at the earliest. Additionally, the contractor hired for maintaining cleanliness should be blacklisted.”
The hospital authorities, however, claimed that the contractor was to blame for the mess. Dr Sunil Patil, superintendent of RMH, said, “The cleaning staff has been outsourced by a contractor, and due to some payment issues, the workers left the job, which led to a compromise in hospital hygiene and overall cleanliness. Until October, the place was well-maintained, but due to payment issues from the contractor, the workers stopped working. Now, 15 workers have been deployed, and the cleaning work is ongoing.”
The hospital, which is Asia’s largest mental hospital, is spread over 110 acres and has a 100-year-old drainage system. Hospital sources said that poor drainage has led to water shortages, and the shortage of Class IV workers is the reason behind the unkempt wards. Some inmates had to use their clothes to wipe themselves. The wards are spread across the large campus, and most of the buildings are old and not well-maintained.
