No False Ceilings In New Hospitals To Curb Rat Menace

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The Health Department has directed that false ceilings should not be used in hospital buildings under construction, citing concerns that they provide hiding and breeding spaces for rodents.

The move follows a series of rat-related incidents in government hospitals, including the deaths of two newborn girls at Indore's MY Hospital in Sept 2025.

In Jabalpur, rats were spotted running rampant in the orthopaedic ward of the district hospital's old building. Consequently, the new hospital building has been designed to completely exclude the use of false ceilings.

A false ceiling had previously collapsed at the Super-Speciality Hospital of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Medical College.

The growing issue of rat infestations has been plaguing government hospitals. This initiative is being piloted at Victoria District Hospital in Jabalpur to prevent rodent entry.

Construction of the new four-storey building at the district hospital is nearing completion, and the use of modern false ceilings has been prohibited there.

Several safety measures are being implemented in this Rs 50-crore project specifically to keep rats out. Once completed, the hospital's bed capacity will increase from 275 to 500, and patients will have access to modern medical facilities under one roof.

In accordance with guidelines issued by the Health Department, steps are being taken to ensure patients do not have to wander around; instead, they will receive critical care and access to specialist doctors under a single roof.

Additionally, the ceilings on all four floors will be left exposed, without false ceilings.

States like Punjab and Rajasthan have mandated the removal or prohibition of false ceilings in rodent-prone wards and ICUs to eliminate hidden nesting grounds.

When rodent infestations get out of control, often leading to ceilings collapsing or rats accessing medical equipment, hospitals are frequently forced to dismantle suspended ceilings permanently to expose the ductwork and make the space easily inspectable.

Victoria Hospital Civil Surgeon Dr Navin Kothari said, "ACS had advised during a recent visit not to use false ceilings, blocking their entry into ICUs and other care units in the hospital."