Bhubaneswar: Fifty patients, admitted at the emergency and trauma care unit of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here, had to be shifted on Wednesday night after authorities noticed cracks in walls and roofs of the building that houses the ward.

Patients' attendants at the emergency unit said the authorities had woke them up and started sifting their relatives to another ward, citing the cause that the building required an urgent repair.

"We thought something major had happened, but later found that they wanted to take up the repair work," said Jajati Kishan, a patient's attendant.

Sources said the cracks in the building walls had been detected a week ago, but the institute administrators turned up to repair the same only on Thursday. "We have reported about the cracks to the attending doctors a few days ago. At that time, they said steps would be taken up shortly," said Minaketan Jena, another patient's attendant at the hospital.

Medical superintendent of the institute Sachidananda Mohanty said they had got the crack reports a week ago. "We had called the experts. After inspection, they said the building was safe. Nevertheless, we took up the repair job and most of which has already been finished," said Mohanty.

He asked the patients not to panic. "It is just minor cracks that appeared because of the recent rain. It is not dangerous. However, we don't want to risk it further, and that's why, have decided to shift the patients as it was necessary," said the medical superintendent.

Institute director Gitanjali Batamanabane said officials of the central public works department had inspected the building and submitted the report on the cause of the cracks. "It is because of the rain and the age of the building. The repair work started and will be over shortly," said the director.

Not only the interior and exterior of the building, but also other hospital buildings have started developing cracks on their surfaces. "Thousands of patients are depending on this hospital hoping quality health care, but the authorities are playing with lives of the people," said Tirupati Sarangi, another patient's attendant at the hospital from Khurda.

Spread over 100 acres, AIIMS had started its operation in the city from 2014. The institute got several civil structures on its premises, including the hospital building and administrative blocks. "It is not possible that a building - not older than at least five or six years - will start developing cracks," said a senior works official.