225 hospital buildings unsafe across Kerala, finds audit after Kottayam tragedy

Thiruvananthapuram: The Department of Health has stated that 225 buildings across 135 hospitals in the state are at risk of collapse.

The figures were collected by the Directorate of Health Services and submitted to the government after a woman died when a building collapsed at Kottayam Medical College.

Authorities clarified that this is only a preliminary estimate. Many hospital buildings that were highlighted by the media following the Kottayam mishap are not included in this list.

In Ernakulam district, 41 buildings need to be demolished. In Alappuzha district, 37 buildings, including the Nooranad Leprosy Sanatorium Government Hospital, are in critical condition. In Wayanad, 14 buildings are on the verge of collapse.

Many hospital authorities are still waiting to receive information from the District Medical Officer, and the Director of the Health Department is responsible for coordinating the renovation works.

Several buildings in Thiruvananthapuram General Hospital are missing from the list, despite orders being issued for their demolition.

A building at the Family Health Centre in Kadapra, Pathanamthitta, was damaged during the 2018 floods but has not been repaired. The centre continues to operate from a rented facility.

Although the IP block of Adimaly Taluk Hospital has been partially demolished, the Gynaecology ward is functioning in the old structure due to space constraints. Most of the buildings included in the list have been issued unfit for use certificates.

Since these demolitions are being carried out as a government matter, procedural delays are inviting the risk of yet another tragedy.