Darjeeling Eden Hospital

Darjeeling, 20 June: Everyday we have witnessed here in Darjeeling town the routine GJMM rallies of Students, Teachers, Employees, Nari (Women) Morcha etc. for Gorkhaland, even though, there has been incessant rain and indefinite bandh in Darjeeling hills for last four days.

Every monsoon this incessant rain expects the unexpected incidents that Darjeeling always scared of. Today, we have witnessed the most potential threat that Eden Hospital is likely to face in near future due to this incessant rain or substandard construction materials used for this Hospital.

The back side of Eden Hospital has been crumbled to some extend, the retaining wall of Hospital has been cracked, as well as section of Hospital has been witnessed cracked on ceiling and walls. DT correspondent visits the site…

SOS shift plan for hill patients
OUR BUREAU - The Telegraph

The cracks have been covered with plastic sheets. Picture by Suman Tamang

Gangtok/Darjeeling, June 20: The authorities of Darjeeling District Hospital have drawn up a contingency plan to evacuate patients after cracks appeared on the rear of the building following incessant rains over the past three days.

Small cracks were first noticed last evening, but they became more pronounced — at least one of them is one-and-half inches wide — today as rain continued to lash the town till about 1pm.

The guard wall behind the building has developed even larger cracks, forcing the district administration to shift seven families from the settlement on the other side of the wall.

S. Bhaumik, the district’s chief medical officer of health, said about 50 to 60 patients housed in wards in the rear of the building would have to shifted, depending on the advice of the building’s engineers.

“PWD engineers will be inspecting the building tomorrow. Let us see what they will have to say,” said Bhaumik.
Already the district administration has sounded the management of the Marwari Sahayak Samiti Bhawan for rooms to house patients. “They have agreed to allow the use of their rooms if the need arises,” said Rajesh Pandey, the district magistrate of Darjeeling.

Sources said some patients actually moved out of the hospital without bothering for discharge certificates as soon as word spread that the building had developed cracks.

“Few patients in the rear rooms moved to the front of the building on their own,” the source added.
The building was almost totally reconstructed with funds from the World Bank in 2003. The new building has 308 beds and was constructed at a cost of about Rs 5 crore.

In Sikkim, which has been virtually cut off from the rest of the country with the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha’s indefinite shutdown affecting NH31A, landslips have blocked intra-state roads.

The first onslaught of the monsoons cut off parts of West and South Sikkim earlier this week.

The Gyalshing-Dentam road in West Sikkim has been blocked with debris covering the route at several places. The Rabongla-Gyalshing state highway is blocked at Hingdam. Here, the roads that were damaged last monsoon have given way again.

An 11-year-old girl died in Central referral Hospital on Wednesday after she suffered injuries in a landslide near Singtam in East district. Ganga Maya Gadal was one her way to visit her mother her workplace at Chalamthang when she was caught in a pile of falling debris and washed down 40 feet below.

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Cracks in Darjeeling district hospital
Statesman News Service

DARJEELING, June 20: The Darjeeling District Hospital has developed cracks in its structure following incessant rainfall the past few days. The rear portion of the building has sustained the fault causing panic among the patients.

“The hospital administration suggested us to stay back at our own risk. With such inclement weather conditions a calamity could occur in the night catching us helpless. So we are leaving the hospital,” said Mr Faizun Ahmed, whose daughter was admitted to the hospital for treatment yesterday.

Others like Balkumar Chettri of Lapchu whose brother is admitted with viral fever chose to stay back despite the caution. “It will be difficult to take my patient back in this bandh. Moreover, he has not recovered fully and we do not want to take chances with his health. If there is a crisis, it is the responsibility of the administration to make alternative arrangements,” he demanded.

The district hospital, which has already drawn flak from the locals for its pitiable condition had also earned the disapproval of the Union Health Minister Mr Anbumani Ramadoss during his recent visit to the hospital.

However, the hospital administration, the district administration along with the Darjeeling Municipality is taking necessary measures to overcome the crisis situation. Arrangements are being made to shift the 100 patients from the vulnerable zone to a safer place. “Around 60 patients would be shifted to the nearby Marwari Sahayak Samiti and the rest 40 will be relocated within the hospital,” informed the CMOH, Dr S Bhowmik.

PWD engineers surveyed the hospital today and repair work will begin from tomorrow. “The patients would be shifted back to the hospital after the repair works are over,” the CMOH added.

Regarding the discharge of some patients following the development of cracks on the hospital building the CMOH clarified: “Only those who have fully recovered have been discharged. As for the serious cases we take full responsibility of their safety.” The district administration has provided the hospital with tarpaulins to meet an emergency if any in the night, he added.