Broken, clogged toilets: Washrooms in top Kashmir hospitals tell unhygienic story

Srinagar, Aug 10: A brown broom, green wiper, polythene bags with wrappers fill the commode in a washroom on the first floor of Srinagar’s tertiary care Shri Maharaja Hari Singh (SMHS) hospital. Blue, white and beige clothes hang from the flush tank.

The washroom as per hospital staff has been out-of-use for the past 18-months.

On the ground floor near the resuscitation centre, Saleema Jan (57) is waiting in the corridor outside the women's toilet.

The two toilets in the women’s section are vacant, but Ms. Jan is afraid to use them because the bolts, like in most of the toilets in the facility, are not working. The doors of these toilets are mostly broken at the bottom, making them partially see-through, and the absence of latches makes it impossible to bolt them from the inside.

This stopped Ms Jan from using the washroom as she waited for her husband who was out to get medicines, so he could keep guard outside while she was inside, Ms Jan said.

These washrooms are near Triage on the ground floor, and ironically, the age-old metallic toilets, still in use, have worn down over time. Many of them no longer have footrests, making it difficult for patients or attendants to maintain a proper stance while attending to nature's call.

Patients who are being treated upon in Medical and Surgical Emergencies and those in the resuscitation ward have to use or to be precise enough, struggle in these washrooms.

As per officials, over 3500 people visit the 890-bedded health facility on a daily basis.

“It’s difficult to use this washroom with a drip injected into my hand. I also need to hold the door with one hand otherwise it will remain open,” lamented 19-year-old Abid as he tried to figure out how to achieve the task.

Like the dilapidated condition of these washrooms wasn’t enough, the absence of robust cleaning and proper exhaust system makes the life of patients more difficult.

The leaking geysers and taps only add to the misery.

“You see this bottom of the geyser, anyone can get electrocuted here,” said an elderly man who was attending to his daughter and wished not to be named.

Despite sweepers and cleaners sending daily reports and pictures of washrooms and places that are cleaned to hospital’s higher authorities, the hygiene at the tertiary care remains below par, facts on the ground establish.

On the first floor, inside washrooms of the Medical Emergency Ward, an exhaust fan frame remains intact, its motor and fins are nowhere to be seen.

Inside the washroom two huge bins and a big plastic bag are filled to the brim with different kinds of waste, emanating different foul smells.

“It stinks to the core,” shouted a man as he ran back to his patient after using the washroom.

Opposite the Emergency Medicine ward, across the corridor, there are two more washrooms, each dedicated to two genders.

Although there are two toilets in each, one in the women’s section has been out-of-use for over 18-months, cleaners and hospital staff said.

In the men’s section of the same washroom, the flush tank is filled with everything but water. Broken float valve, transparent polythene and over half-a-dozen wrappers have been there since time immemorial.

The hospital administration says that there is a plan being executed to “repair, revamp, and make washrooms cleaner at the SMHS.”

Out of six washrooms in the ground and first floor, only two toilets have new doors, but their old ones still remain inside the toilets.

In the Indoor Patients Department (IPD) wards, from ward no.1 in the ground floor to ward no.16 in the first floor, the washrooms were comparatively cleaner, however, some toilets lack even basic amenities.

Like the washroom of Ward no.12 and Ward no. 9 which have a leaking floor. The broken tiles appear to fall anytime, while when one steps on them, water seeps through the gaps.

The toilets of Ward no.11 have no faucets. And in the Ward no. 16, flush tanks are out-of-service.

A top official from the planning department of the hospital told Greater Kashmir that Rs 74-lakhs have been approved for the project and that washrooms of many wards have been renovated.

The renovation of washrooms would be completed by the end of this month, he said.

However, the official was unable to answer when asked which wards’ washrooms were renovated and made accessible to the specially-abled people.

“My job isn’t that, my job is to build huge buildings,” said the planning official.

Another top official from the hospital’s administration department said that they are taking absolutely good care of hospital hygiene.

However, when shown that the bins inside the washroom are full up to brim, resulting in stinking washrooms, he said they would increase the number of times the bins are emptied.

At present the bins are only emptied twice.

“We have some vacancies, we will look and fill them to increase the cleaning process,” an official from the administration department said.

“There will be no compromise on hygiene,” said the top administrator.

Moving on to the SKIMS Medical College (JVC), two toilets in the men’s washroom near the Emergency Department don’t have doors. As per the hospital’s Medical Superintendent, Dr. Shafa Deva, “they were constructed in the year 2022.”

When asked about the daily reports of hygiene of the institution, Deva said that they conduct daily routine checks. However, when asked why the doors of the toilets are missing, she said “I don’t know.”

One toilet, which has its door intact, cannot be used, because it is clogged up to the brim.

Commenting on the status of the washrooms in the hospital, Deva said that the contract for the renovation has been delayed.

About the clogged toilet, Deva said that “the hospital is constructed in an area where the drain backflows and that this happens,” she claimed.