Slithering snakes give jitters to patients

​Chittoor: After facing rodent menace, the government hospitals in the district are in the grip of fear of snakes. In-patients and medical staff in the hospitals are spending sleepless nights fearing attacks from poisonous snakes. Some in-patients, who do not want to risk their lives, have left the hospitals.

On seeing two snakes in the male ward of the government hospital in the district headquarters here ten days ago, the patients and the medical staff ran helter-skelter.

Though the hospital authorities tried to hush up the matter after getting two snakes killed, the threat did not subside as more snakes were found in the wards and the bathroom. Some of the snakes were found to be black cobra younglings.

The municipal authorities called a snake catcher who eliminated a 5ft-long black cobra. Nearly 20 snakes were found or killed on the hospital premises during the past one week. Despite the claims of the authorities that the hospital premises was totally sanitised, a snake was found in a ward on Wednesday.

The presence of poisonous snakes was also noticed in the government hospitals at Thamballapalle and B Kothakota.

A black cobra laid eggs in the bathroom by making it a safe hideout, which highlighted the poor maintenance of the government hospitals in the district. Dr Sandhya, RMO of Chittoor government hospital, said all steps would be taken to ensure the safety of in-patients and medical staff by sprucing up the building premises.