Udupi: Ten years back Udupi district hospital was declared number in the state. But although it’s a district hospital, today, there are no doctors, no enough staff, lack of medicines, medical equipments and there are no specialists (experts) to use them too and its looks like taluk hospital.
The new problem faced by the locals here is medical waste flowing out from the broken drainage pipe. From the past ten days the main drainage pipe is broken and the entire waste has been flowing out behind the hospital causing a serious threat to public health and environment by polluting the premises.

Behind the hospital there is a mortuary and the polluted drainage water is flowing out and has been diverted to flow outside the hospital compound. Adjacent to the mortuary, there is a swimming pool and an indoor stadium, a district sports stadium and zilla panchayath officer’s residential area. The problem has been not fixed even though it has been ten days since the drainage pipe broke.

The foul smell is said to be spreading in the area due to the medical waste, it has been reported. The residents from the area are complaining that there is a possibility of the waste getting into government swimming pool and resulting in serious health problems for them.

There was no response from the municipal authority as well. They have declined to sort out the issue by saying that the place is within the premises of the hospital and does not come under its jurisdiction.

“The issue should be sorted out within a week otherwise protests will be intensified and the medical officers and district administration should face dire consequences, warned Zilla Nagarika Samiti general secretary Nithyananda Olakadu.

District hospital surgeon Dr R Mahendra Kumar said, “The district administration is aware of the matter. To resolve the issue of underground drainage system we have planned a project estimated to be up to Rs 10 lakhs under Health and Basic facilities development scheme. In ten days the work will be undertaken”.