Woman attender injured after roof plastering peeled off at Tirupattur GH

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.

Health officials blamed the dilapidated condition of the old single-storey building, built in 1974. In 2022, the building was renovated for the second time with the construction of the first floor. During the pandemic, an ICU ward for COVID-19 patients, especially children, functioned in the old building.After renovation in 2022, the erstwhile ICU ward for COVID-19 patients was converted into a paediatric ICU ward. On an average, 15 children can be treated in the ward. The ICU in the building has four wards, including two paediatric wards. Each ward has at least eight beds.

The old building also houses a camp office to attend to grievances of persons with disabilities and a psychiatric care unit. Health Officials said that a new building constructed at a cost of ₹56 crore has an advanced paediatric ICU ward. However, the facility was not functional due to delay in installation of key medical equipment. After Wednesday’s incident, children from the old building were shifted to the ICU ward in the new building of the hospital.