Sanathnagar ESIC Hospital Faces Water and AC Crisis
Sanathnagar ESIC Hospital's water and air conditioning crisis highlights the disparity between its reputation and reality. Basic patient needs are unmet due to severe shortages, affecting thousands of patients daily.
Highlights
- •Water Crisis
- •Air Conditioning Failure
- •Medicine Shortages
- •Logistical Failures
Hyderabad's state-of-the-art Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) Medical College and Hospital at Sanathnagar is currently grappling with a severe water crisis and malfunctioning air conditioning systems. This situation has left many patients and medical professionals frustrated, as basic hospital amenities are failing during what should be ideal conditions.
In a recently issued circular, the medical college detailed the dire shortage of water, which affects residents of both the Residential Staff Quarters and Student Hostel. Water is only available from 6 am to 9 am in the morning and 6 pm to 9 pm in the evening. Patients and medical attendants reported that washrooms are in poor condition, with running taps for just an hour twice a day.
Impact on Patient Care
M. Davender, who was admitted in May after a road accident, highlighted the hardships: 'Without functional air conditioning, patients have to bring their own fans. Lack of water is forcing us outside for personal needs.' Another staff member, Lakshmi, mentioned that 'patients are struggling as we rely on minimal toilet access and makeshift solutions for cleanliness.'
Dean Dr Shirish Kumar Chavan provided context: 'This hospital requires 1000 kiloliters of water daily, but getting only 45 kiloliters from HMWSSB. Seven borewells have gone dry this summer, halting our central air-conditioning, a critical service during such times.' Despite complaints, efforts to secure a new dedicated pipeline costing ₹10.5 crore face bureaucratic delays.
Medicines are in regular supply but 600-700 distinct medications are not always available due to delayed tenders post-March. Some rare medicines remain in short supply—deliveries take up to 42 days with new vendors.
In a broader context, ESIC Sanathnagar claims national leadership in healthcare but currently stands as an ironic contrast—a world-class facility beset by fundamental logistical failures.
