Steep stairs remain dangerous for pregnant women at Y. Othakadai PHC

The Primary Health Centre in Y. Othakadai area in Madurai district, which is catering to the health needs of 45,000 people in Othakadai and nearby areas, is operating with an unsafe infrastructure to pregnant women who often visit the hospital for Antenatal Care (ANC). 

The steep steps of staircase in the hospital which the pregnant women should climb during their weekly Antenatal Care check-up could end up dangerous for them and the foetus they carry, worried patients.  

A 25-year-old pregnant woman from Narasingham, who visited the hospital, said that though the treatment provided by the doctors at the hospital was good, infrastructure facilities should be improved to suit pregnant women with difficulty in mobility. 

“As most of us would be into three months of pregnancy, all of us will face difficulty in walking owing to the changes in physical structure,” she added.  

But in addition to the usual diagnosis, for other needs like testing and getting medicines and other purposes, everyone has to climb the stairs to the first floor of the buildings, she noted.  

The steps, which the pregnant women take for climbing, were very steep that even a slight slip would cause a huge danger to the women’s life and foetus’ life. 

“To avoid misstep or slipping down the steps we are advised by the nurse to remove our slippers before climbing,” another pregnant woman said.  

They said that they carry their heavy body weight with caution to protect themselves from falling. 

Also, as the hospital itself was very crowded, most of the pregnant women, who could not find a seat, sat on the stairs till they were called by the doctors for test or diagnosis.  

In addition, as opposed to the total strength of two doctors and four nurses, only one doctor and two nurses are on duty, said sources. As one doctor post and one nurse post were vacant and as one of the three nurses was unavailable at the hospital due to deputation, the current strength would be unable to manage more than 150 outpatients registered every day, they added.  

To compensate for the vacant posts, a medical college student was deputed to attend patients. 

Condemning the inadequate strength in the hospital, where referrals from sub-centres in Idaiyapatti, Narasingham, Thirumogur, Rajakambiram, Othakadai, Barathi Nagar, Puthuthamaraipatti, would be made for ANC checks and other medical needs, A. Veronica Mary, a health activist, said the pre-natal check-up was very essential to ensure the health of both the mother and the child. 

“Every Tuesdays are fixed for ANC check-ups and more than 70 pregnant women would visit the hospital. In that situation, doctors, who must verify their test results and diagnose them, are inadequate as it is the medical student who does all the work,” she added.  

With only one doctor present at the hospital, how could that single doctor manage the entire patient’s strength, she asked.  

“As per the National Health Mission norms, pregnant women should not be made to climb stairs during such check-ups. But, the building structure in the PHC is completely against the norm,” she said.  

A senior health official said that due to unavailability of space they could not relocate the hospital to a spacious location.  

“The staircase, which was previously located in the middle of the building, was moved to the left corner of the building to provide enough space at least on the other side,” the official added.  

Expressing their helplessness in making any more changes to the infrastructure, the official said since the building was surrounded by government buildings and other commercial establishments, it could not be expanded.  

“Only when we are provided with an alternative location, we could change the hospital building which serves at least 700 pregnant women in a year and 45,000 OPs,” the official noted.