MGM Medical College and Hospital is in the news ' and once again for a crumbling reason.
In the sixth crash in a year, a portion of the portico linking the state-run hospital's medical and surgical blocks in Sakchi collapsed on Thursday morning while 300 patients and attendants were present in the two buildings.
No one was fatally hurt, but a six-year-old boy and some canteen employees sustained minor injuries.
Eyewitness P. Uma Shekhar, a resident of Burmamines, said the incident took place around 11.30am. "A chunk of the portico came crashing. The debris hit my son Suraj in the leg. Imagine what would have happened if it fell on his head," she said.
Patient Shailendra Singh said the entire roof of the medical block looked as if it would crumble any moment. "Where would one sit or stand. The hospital is rundown. If the authorities don't act now, a disaster is inevitable," Singh, who is being treated for multiple injuries sustained in a road accident, said.
Superintendent S.S. Prasad admitted that the hospital needed urgent repair. "It is the same scene everywhere. We all risk our lives here every day," he said. He, however, claimed that the health and family welfare department's engineering wing, which is in charge of maintenance of hospital buildings, had floated a tender for repair work. He added that funds were not a problem.
Krishna Singh, engineer (health and family welfare department), confirmed that the tender process was underway. "The estimated cost of the job is Rs 3.5 crore. The tender will open on January 26," he said.
He added that they would have to replace damaged doors, windows, tiles and other fittings too, but the focus would remain on damaged portions of buildings.
The last accident at MGM took place on December 27, 2012, when an elevator came crashing in the medical block.
