Hygiene, or the lack of it, continues to rile patients visiting Gardanibagh Hospital, near which the Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) dumps half the garbage generated from around town.

Sources said that garbage generated from all wards of PMC's New Capital circle is dumped at a landfill site near Gardanibagh Hospital. In fact, even the waste from Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) is dumped there. On Wednesday, The Telegraph team noticed tonnes of solid waste dumped at the site.

Sources said that PMC made the spot near Gardanibagh Hospital its secondary landfill site in 2012. Garbage from across the city is first dumped here and then taken to the primary landfill site at Ramchak-Bairia village, 11km away.

Guddu Devi, mother of Manorama Devi, a patient admitted to the Gardanibagh Hospital, was shocked. "How can PMC think of dumping garbage near a hospital," Guddu asked. "We admitted our daughter here on Tuesday for her Caesarean section."

Satyanarayan Mahto, a patient in the outpatient department, was more vocal. "Patients visit hospitals to rid themselves of diseases, but those coming here will catch new infections," Mahto said.

Civic officials admitted there were sanitation issues near Gardanibagh Hospital because of disposal of solid waste there. "We are trying our best to address sanitation issues near Gardanibagh Hospital but are helpless," said Vishal Anand, executive officer of PMC's New Capital circle.

"In April this year, we had taken some measures to reduce quantum of waste. We continuously take garbage away from the site to Ramchak-Bairia village, but we could not continue doing this because of heavy traffic on the Bypass Road as a result of garbage (not from the hospital landfill) piled up along the road. Also, our trucks, ferrying garbage to Ramchak-Bairaya village, could not return on time because of poor road conditions in Ramchak-Bairaiya village."

"The decision to making the site near Gardanibagh Hospital a secondary landfill site itself is surprising," said a senior PMC official who did not wish to be named. "Before 2012, the secondary landfill site was near Hardinge Park area but residents in the area began complaining about hygiene issues owing to dumping of garbage there. As a result, PMC shifted its secondary landfill site from Hardinge Park area to the site near Gardanibagh Hospital. But it was a very wrong decision. Landfill sites should not be created near any hospital. It would only expose patients to infections. I don't understand why the health department has so far not raised a finger at the PMC's move."

Asked what action the hospital administration had taken to address the issue, the deputy superintendent of the hospital, Manjula Rani, said three months ago she had written to PMC asking it to remove garbage from the site, only to be disappointed.

"Earlier also I have written many letters to PMC officials in this regard, but no action has been taken so far," Rani said. "We have no option."