Tirupur: A sanitary worker seen handling a patient’s wound in the absence of nurses and doctors at a government hospital in Tirupur has triggered backlash against the medical facility.
The incident occurred on June 6 at the Madathukulam Taluk Government Hospital in Tirupur when 42-year-old businessman C Angeshwaran was brought in with an injured big toe after playing cricket. Despite the presence of hospital staff, it was a sanitary worker who first attended to him. A video of the incident, is now viral on social media.
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Angeshwaran, accompanied by BJP district general secretary A Vaduganathan, was reportedly asked to sit on a hospital bed for wound dressing. To their shock, a woman sanitary worker arrived, removed the cloth around the injury and began dressing the wound.
"When we questioned her, she said she usually dresses patients' wounds. But when Vaduganathan began recording the video, she left abruptly and said she would bring a nurse," Angeshwaran said, as quoted by The Times of India. The act, caught on camera, was enough to prompt the staff nurse and duty doctor to finally arrive and provide treatment.
PMK Criticises Absence of Medical Staff
The video was also condemned by PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss. In a post on X, Ramadoss criticised the hospital’s justification that the worker merely removed the cloth, calling it “absurd” and saying, “It is not the job of the sanitary worker to dress a wound for a patient.”
Dr Meera, Joint Director of Health Services in Tirupur, confirmed that the sanitary worker had no authority to perform such procedures. “An inquiry has been initiated against the duty doctor. Action will be taken after an explanation is sought,” she said as per TOI.
Vaduganathan added that his party had earlier petitioned the Tirupur district collector to fill staff shortages and had staged a protest on June 14. “The video shows the reality on the ground,” he said.
