Strays at GHs, a bitter pill to swallow for patients
They freely wander in and out of general wards, where they sleep under patient beds and occasionally share meals with patients. Almost all public hospitals in the city, including children's hospitals, mental health institutes, and maternity hospitals, contend with packs of community dogs.
"We don't know how this fellow got in here," said a security guard at Tower II gate of Rajiv Gandhi Govt General Hospital, pointing to a dog outside the CT scan area on Thursday.
"This tower alone has two to three entrances. I guard just one. There is no one guarding the other two today. Sometimes they post elderly guards, but they can't run and chase dogs," she said. "This is a govt hospital. Don't expect facilities you see at a private hospital.
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Doctors and hospital administrators say the dogs remain there due to availability of food. "Doctors, PG students, and even patients feed them. Why would dogs leave this place when they get what they want," asked Dr Magesh, dean in-charge of Stanley hospital.
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Dr A Aravind, dean of Omandurar Medical College and Hospital, said some dogs in the hospital have stayed back after their owners passed away. "We get patients from adjacent Tiruvallur, Chengalpet, and Kancheepuram districts or even Andhra Pradesh. Some patients bring their pets along. They are left behind when they die. I've seen at least half a dozen such cases over the past few months," he said.
When packs become aggressive or there are complaints of dog bites, hospital administrators seek assistance from the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC).
However, permanently removing these dogs from hospital campuses is not an option. Under the Animal Birth Control (Dogs) Rules, 2023, street dogs can be captured only in two situations: as part of sterilization and vaccination drives to control their population, or in response to specific complaints such as dog bites or suspected rabies.
Some times when patients, attenders or staff complain, the dogs are taken for observation and returned when they are found healthy.
"Once every six months, GCC sterilizes dogs on campus and vaccinates them before dropping them back," said Vanitha Malar, RMO, Stanley Hospital.
Dr M Jagadeesan, GCC's city health officer, said the civic agency's job ends with sterilization. "Stray dogs in sterile zones such as ICUs and OTs pose a clear sanitation hazard. Hospitals must take charge of preventing this," he said.
Animal activists such as Sudha Chandrashekar, founder of SANS Animal Welfare Trust, suggest that hospitals should create designated feeding zones. "When feeding is restricted to just one designated zone, dogs will stay there. Hospitals must penalize anyone feeding he dogs on hospital premises," she said. Her trust helped DLF Porur establish such a zone for its campus. "Arbitrary removal makes no sense. Responsible coexistence must be the way forward," she said.
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