A 45-year-old woman attender sustained injuries on her head after a portion of the plastering of the ceiling at the paediatric ICU of Government District Headquarters Hospital in Tirupattur, peeled off and fell on her on Wednesday.
Health officials said that K. Padma, a native of Mandalavadi village near Jolarpet town, had admitted her six-month-old granddaughter Sri Nandini, in the hospital for fever and cold a few days ago. The baby girl is being treated at the ICU in the old hospital building.
As per hospital norms, a family member was allowed to stay with the patient in the ward. Accordingly, Padma was sleeping on the floor near her granddaughter, who was on the bed, when a portion of the false ceiling and the cement roof above it, peeled off and fell on her.
The incident happened around 4 a.m. “Around 5 a.m., I was alerted about the incident. Immediately, we initiated steps to shift all six paediatric patients in the ward to a new building in the hospital. PWD officials are currently working to repair the damaged roof in the ward,” K. Sivakumar, Chief Medical Officer of the hospital, told The Hindu.
On hearing the victim cry in pain, the hospital staff rushed to Padma’s rescue and treated her for the injuries. The video of the incident went viral on social media platforms, inviting public outcry. “I was in a state of shock when the cement plastering fell on me. Had it fallen on the patients in the paediatric ward, the loss would have been severe. The district administration should ensure patients’ safety at government facilities,” Ms. Padma said.
