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Hospital Cleanliness Crisis in Vidarbha: Infections, Filth and Public Distrust

Hospital Cleanliness Crisis in Vidarbha
Hospital Cleanliness Crisis in Vidarbha

Cleanliness issues follow patterns that go beyond isolated messes. Locked or broken toilets, unclean wards, and garbage accumulation are among the most frequent problems.


At GMCH, toilets were inaccessible or unusable due to a lack of cleaning. At resident doctor hostels, the odour of neglected washrooms was apparent in corridors.

In many hospitals, patients avoided toilets altogether. Across medical campuses in Nagpur, garbage lay uncollected, drains were blocked, and wrappers and disposable cups were found floating in puddles. Insects and rodents were attracted to these conditions.


Municipal officers documented waterlogging in kitchens, ward corners, and building perimeters. In open spaces within hospital grounds, small stagnant pools provided breeding areas for mosquitoes.



Other problems are less visible. In several cases, there has been inadequate sterilisation of medical equipment and a lack of hand hygiene enforcement.


In Yavatmal, this reportedly played a role in post-operative infections. During the COVID-19 period, patients absconded from isolation wards in Nagpur due to fears of catching secondary infections.

A court document noted that those patients were not only avoiding treatment but feared becoming sicker because of unclean facilities. Reports from that time show that trust in hospitals decreased due to the visible conditions inside them. When walls are dirty, water is unavailable, or bedsheets are unchanged, patients and families lose confidence in the care being provided.


Some health centres in rural Vidarbha operate without adequate cleaning staff or basic sanitation infrastructure. In smaller towns, a single worker may be responsible for cleaning the entire facility. In cases of absenteeism or leave, there is often no backup.



Health Risks and Behavioural Shifts Among Patients


The impact of these failures extends to patients, healthcare workers, and the health system at large. Patients face higher risks of hospital-acquired infections, including post-surgical complications and dengue.


Once infected, they may require stronger antibiotics, contributing to antimicrobial resistance. Patients who might otherwise have gone home in a few days are sometimes hospitalised for weeks.


Costs increase, both for the individual and for the system. In the 2019 Yavatmal case, infected mothers needed extended care. In the 2023 dengue cases, hospitalised patients who had no previous exposure to mosquito-borne diseases became infected inside the hospital campus.

The psychological effects are also significant. Patients avoid toilets, skip handwashing, and leave the premises to use facilities elsewhere.


This has been documented in Nagpur. Caregivers also report discomfort in staying in unclean wards. In some cases, patients have left without completing treatment. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, several suspected cases in Nagpur ran away from quarantine centres due to what they described as unhygienic and unsafe environments.



A bench of the Bombay High Court noted this and ordered better upkeep. They cited news reports which described patients fearing infection from dirty wards more than the disease itself.


Reputational harm adds to the list of consequences. Public anger and mistrust were visible in media coverage and public commentary. Even in hospitals where no deaths occurred, administrators were forced to inspect toilets and public spaces after journalists posted photographs of overflowing bins and clogged sinks.


Hospital staff are affected as well. Sanitation workers face unmanageable workloads. Doctors and nurses operate in unsanitary conditions that affect morale and productivity.

Where pest control is lacking, rodents or insects add to their challenges. In facilities with limited support staff, cleaning tasks fall to healthcare workers who are not trained or equipped for them.


Administrative, Civic, and Legal Responses to Cleanliness Lapses

Administrative, Civic, and Legal Responses to Cleanliness Lapses in Vidarbha Hospitals
Administrative, Civic, and Legal Responses to Cleanliness Lapses in Vidarbha Hospitals

Public agencies have responded in different ways. Civic authorities like Nagpur’s NMC issued multiple notices and undertook fogging drives.


In one case, after dengue cases emerged within the hospital, they gave the administration a deadline to clear mosquito-breeding grounds. Officials visited hostels and kitchens and documented open water containers with mosquito larvae. Where necessary, they threatened legal action under public health laws.

The state health department used programmes like Kayakalp to rank hospitals based on cleanliness. Facilities in Amravati and Wardha performed well in some years. Winners received financial incentives. Those with poor scores faced review and potential reduction of awards. Hospitals seeking Kayakalp certification are required to improve toilets, waste segregation, and infection control protocols.


Legal action has come from courts and human rights bodies. The Bombay High Court expanded its inquiry to cover state-wide healthcare conditions. It asked for district-wise plans to fill staff vacancies, fix infrastructure, and improve cleanliness.


It referred to government audits, which showed unspent healthcare funds despite widespread problems. In a separate development, a Maharashtra minister was filmed asking a dean to clean a hospital toilet. This was criticised for its approach, but it showed the intensity of pressure on hospitals to act after public complaints.



Reform efforts have also included the outsourcing of hospital cleaning services. Some institutions hired private agencies to handle sanitation.

This allowed for scheduled cleaning and trained workers. But where oversight is weak, outsourced contractors fail to meet standards. Government data from Nagpur city shows that over 600 hospitals and clinics use common biomedical waste facilities, helping to reduce waste buildup on-site.


NGOs working in tribal areas have assisted rural health centres in improving water supply and sanitation. In Melghat, one such group upgraded facilities to reduce waterborne disease risks.


Civil society and journalists have played a role in exposing lapses. Photographs and first-person accounts have forced administrators to act. In some cases, letters to the Human Rights Commission or regulatory authorities have triggered visits and recommendations.


Despite these efforts, the underlying problems remain. Staff shortages are common. Many government hospitals lack adequate numbers of cleaners, ward assistants, and maintenance personnel.

Infrastructure is often old, with leaking pipes and poor ventilation. In some places, toilets have no running water. In other cases, disposal systems fail, leading to backflow or blocked drains. Equipment sterilisation is not always consistent. Hospitals that received attention after specific incidents sometimes improved for a few weeks, but regular maintenance has been harder to sustain.


One central hospital that has mostly avoided these issues is AIIMS Nagpur. As a newer institution, it was built with planned layouts, sufficient staff, and better systems for hygiene.


Other older hospitals in Vidarbha operate in buildings that are several decades old. This affects plumbing, drainage, and overall cleanliness. Retrofitting old hospitals is expensive, and temporary fixes are not enough to meet hygiene standards.



Patients continue to speak about their experiences. Those who return for follow-ups compare conditions from earlier years to recent ones.


Some describe improvements in toilet access and ward maintenance. Others report that problems resurface after public attention fades. In some cases, attendants clean areas themselves or bring disinfectants from outside. For many, these are the only available options.

The contrast between some rural hospitals and urban centres is narrowing.


With greater awareness and reporting, even small health units are being held accountable.


However, structural issues remain across all districts. Many hospital staff speak about working in unsafe or uncomfortable conditions. Their concerns include pests, garbage overflow, blocked washbasins, and the absence of usable restrooms.


Infections that originate inside hospitals are among the most preventable causes of extended illness. When hospitals themselves become a source of disease, treatment becomes harder, and public trust declines.

In Vidarbha, the past three years have shown how such patterns develop and what effects they leave behind. Where action was taken, some results have been visible. Where the response was delayed or inconsistent, patients suffered and awareness spread through news reports and public statements.



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The NewsDirt is a trusted source for authentic, ground-level journalism, highlighting the daily struggles, public issues, history, and local stories from Vidarbha’s cities, towns, and villages. Committed to amplifying voices often ignored by mainstream media, we bring you reliable, factual, and impactful reporting from Vidarbha’s grassroots.

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