AGARTALA, July 22 (TIWN): Drinking water scarcity has emerged as a major problem for the patients and their attendants at the state’s primer referral GBP hospital

Though there are drinking water kiosks at the entrance each ward, many of them  have been lying defunct since long.

“Hundreds of patients come to the hospital and depend on these water kiosks to quench their thirst. The authorities are aware of the problem, but no step is being taken to repair them," said a patient.

“We don’t have water even to clean the blood stains in our hands,” said a paramedical staff of the emergency ward, even as he was busy treating a boy, who had come to the hospital with serious injuries owing to an accident. “We have been facing this problem for several days in the hospital,” he said refusing to mention his name.

The hospital staff, patients and their caretakers are fed up with the water scarcity problem in the hospital. The staff members have been putting pressure on the senior officials to address the problem and the latter are putting the blame on the Agartala City Municipal Council. The patients and their caretakers have been bringing drinking water from outside.

 Medical Superintendent (MS) of GBP, told TIWN that there was a problem with the supply of water. “We have been urging the AMC to supply adequate water. Sometimes, they listen to us and many times, they do not,” he said. Asked if surgeries were getting disturbed because of water problem, he said the hospital was managing it by getting water through tankers, whenever required. “We have neither stopped nor postponed surgeries because of water problem,” MS said.