T’puram: The state govt must have spruced up many primary health centres and hospitals at taluk and district levels, but the general hospital in the city remains in a bad shape.The largest public sector hospital after the govt medical college hospital, the general hospital functions from a building that needs maintenance and repainting.The pathway that leads to general outpatient block is riddled with potholes. When it rains, water accumulates in front of the in-gate arch. Similar is the situation at the out gate too. The conical roof of the gateway arch is without tiled roofing.Though a portion of the campus where outpatients and relatives move around is paved with interlocked tiles, the facility presents an unkempt appearance.A police outpost lies abandoned with broken chairs tossed about.The doctors’ room in the main building is an aluminium-partitioned enclosure. The wall has a crack that runs down from the top to the white tiles.The walls of the building require repainting.However, the heritage building remains well maintained.Patients say that the broken pathway makes walking back and forth difficult, especially during rain. There was water pooled around near the gate of the hospital after a brief rain on Thursday evening.Kiran M, a relative of a patient, said that the hospital presents a shoddy look compared to the photos of govt health centres pasted on the walls of the OP counter as promotion of effciency of govt health system.The state govt is planning to build a Rs 137cr four-storey new block to ease space constraints for patients. It will also have many specialities, laboratories and other facilities.
