For patients at the Aundh District Hospital (ADH) in Pune, the agony begins as soon as they are allotted beds in the male ward on the second floor. Several patients have complained about spittle-stained walls and piles of dirty laundry inside and around the wards.
Speaking on the condition of anonymity, a patient said, “I was admitted to the ADH once, and the male medicine ward looked like a garbage bin. The bedsheets had blood stains and were not properly washed. Getting a fresh bedsheet is a struggle. The walls of the hospital are stained, and the floors are dirty. Imagine a patient admitted to this ward after surgery; there is a 100 per cent chance of infection. The mattresses are in terrible condition, and the administration is not even replacing them. It’s a nightmare to be admitted to that ward. The administration doesn’t care to clean and is playing with the lives of innocent people.”
Sharad Shetty, a health activist, said, “The piles of dirty laundry in the male medicine ward of the ADH and the overall condition of the ward are pathetic. Hygiene is totally compromised. Officials should take the issue seriously.”
“The workforce operates on low wages, and there is an insufficient water supply. Three workers have to wash a thousand pieces of clothing daily, and dirty linens, including diapers and blood-stained garments, are not properly segregated before being sent for cleaning. Although three positions are sanctioned for washers, all remain vacant, and contract workers are subjected to exploitative labour conditions. The hospital administration gives step-motherly treatment to the laundry department. An inquiry into this entire situation is necessary,” added Shetty.
The hospital laundry service, run by a private contractor, has a total of three machines—one for washing, one for drying, and one for sterilising. “The volume of dirty clothes is very high, and the machines are limited. Some clothes have to be washed manually, and we are a team of three, so it becomes very difficult to manage,” claimed a laundry staff member.
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Dr Nagnath Yempalle, the civil surgeon at the district hospital, told The Free Press Journal that they will investigate the issue. He said, “The bedsheets soiled by body fluids and blood are washed and sterilised. We will investigate the issue and take the required actions. The sanitary workers have been informed to maintain the hygiene of the ward. We will look into the matter.”
