The burns ward of Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) continues to be a torture chamber even a month after

The Telegraph shed light on the patients’ trauma in the absence of functioning air-conditioners (ACs). Sources said all the ACs of the burn wards of the hospital have not been functioning for the past six months but the hospital administration has turned a blind eye to the plight of the patients. 

The hospital has a centralised cooling system in its emergency building, which houses the burn wards of the hospital. But sources said the hospital authorities do not get any maintenance work done on the centralised air-cooling system installed in the building.

While the centralised cooling system works properly in the ground and first floors of the building, where patients other than those with burn injuries are admitted, the system has gone kaput in the second floor of the building. 

Ara resident Mohammad Anjum (34), one of the burn ward patients at PMCH, could be seen restless on his bed. “I have got 60 per cent burn injuries and the sweltering heat has only added to my woes. My entire body is itching. I am really in extreme pain,” he said. Anjum criticised the apathetic attitude of the hospital authorities for not getting the ACs repaired in the burn wards of the hospital.

“It is ironical that the ground and first floors of the emergency wing, where other patients are admitted, has air-conditioners working. But once anyone reaches the second floor, where burn ward patients are admitted, none of the ACs works. The hospital does not care about the burn ward patients,” added Anjum. 
Seemi Kumari, wife of Rakesh Kumar, another burn ward patient at PMCH, said: “I bought a table fan for my husband after finding non-functional ACs in the ward. Though there are ceiling fans,  they don’t provide much help to burn patients in this scorching heat.” 

Seemi showed this correspondent how relatives of other burn ward patients had also bought table fans for the patients. 

A nonchalant PMCH superintendent Lakhendra Prasad again claimed that the hospital administration would solve the problem shortly. “We would get the ACs of the burn ward repaired soon. Ten more ACs have arrived at the hospital, which we would install soon. This would definitely solve the problem to some extent,” said Prasad. 

Some of the burn patients were found loitering outside their ward.“I know I should not move outside of the ward like this without taking the doctor’s advice but I am helpless. It’s very hot inside the ward and thus, I was feeling very uncomfortable. So I decided to take fresh air outside,” said Bhaskar Kumar (28), a patient from Bhagalpur. He had received 50 per cent burn injuries.