Hyderabad: To provide a clean and healthy ambience for family members and attendants of Covid-19 patients admitted in the Gandhi Hospital, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has taken up a major sanitation exercise at the hospital which is designated for Covid treatment. Apart from complete cleaning and sanitation of the hospital, illumination works were taken up, electric poles in the hospital premises were repaired and hundreds of saplings have been planted.
Several land parcels within the hospital premises have been lying neglected for years and eventually turned into dumping grounds. The massive sanitation drive that focused on such spaces has created waiting areas for the patient attendants. “As patient attendants are not allowed inside Covid wards, a clean premise was the need of the hour in the Gandhi Hospital,” said a GHMC official.
For a week, 50 sanitary workers were engaged in collecting, lifting and transferring garbage from the hospital. A total of 10 vehicles, including six tonners and 25 tonners, Bobcats, earth movers and tractors were pressed into action for the sanitation exercise.
As a result, 504 metric tonnes of waste was collected and sent to Jawaharnagar MSW plant and Jeedimetla and Fathullaguda C&D plants. The waste consisted of debris, garbage, green waste and old hospital beds. “For transportation of the garbage, more than 100 trips were made,” said Srinivas Reddy, GHMC Commissioner of Secunderabad.
A GHMC official said that Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MAUD) principal secretary Arvind Kumar closely monitored the sanitation drive, and instructed civic officials to make additional arrangements for patient attendants including food and shelter.
Accommodation and food
To serve the needy amid the lockdown imposed to contain the second wave of Covid pandemic, the GHMC is also providing free food and shelter to the relatives of patients. Patidar Bhavan, a community hall located opposite to Gandhi Hospital, was taken on lease for two months by the civic body for the purpose.
The hall which can accommodate around 300 people is now being used as waiting hall for patient attendants. They are being served free lunch and dinner here, and the facility is mostly being used by people who are not from Hyderabad. “The idea of the State government was to make sure families of Covid-19 patients do not have to run from pillar to post for accommodation and food. Authorities also wanted to ensure people do not have to shell out money for accommodation,” said a GHMC official.
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