A surprise visit to Victoria hospital early on Tuesday left state medical education minister SA Ramdas badly shaken. At the hospital toilet, he was shocked to find 50 to 60 empty liquor bottles and some used condoms.
The minister became suspicious when employees of the hospital staff tried to prevent him from visiting the toilets. Some of them tried to lock the toilet doors. He barged into a toilet only to find that it has been turned into a mini bar.
The scene inside stunned him.
" It was not at all a toilet. It has been converted into a bar. It gave a clear picture of the illegal activities going on at Victoria Hospital premises. I will not tolerate such activities. I am going to take severe action against those responsible," Ramdas said.
A few months ago, the minister had confronted a similar scene when he visited the Bowring and Lady Curzon hospital. "At Bowring hospital too, I found liquor bottles in toilets exclusively maintained for doctors. It was shocking. I don't understand what these people think of hospitals," he said.
After the toilet scene, there were more surprises in store for him. He found that most hospital employees including duty doctors did not come for duty at 9 am. The superintendent of the hospital BG Tilak arrived only at 10 am. The minister came to the hospital before 9 to check the punctuality of hospital staff.
Ever since he took charge as medical education minister, Ramdas has been visiting hospitals that come under the state medical education department. Usually, he plans such visits responding to public complaints. He visited Victoria Hospital too after receiving public complaints.
