A 25-year-old woman was injured after a portion of the roof plaster at the Government Durgadutt Fatehpuria Maternal and Child Hospital in Sujangarh, Rajasthan, collapsed on her while she was leaving the facility on Wednesday afternoon. The incident has triggered criticism from the Congress, which accused the Rajasthan government of negligence and failure to maintain public infrastructure.
The incident occurred at around 1:18 pm when the woman was reportedly leaving the hospital. A section of the ceiling plaster in the porch area suddenly fell on her, causing injuries. Hospital authorities said she required two stitches following the incident.
Dr Purusottam Karwa, Principal Medical Officer, Sujangarh, said the hospital administration had already written to the Public Works Department (PWD) on August 4 regarding repair work. Another request was sent to the department following the incident.
According to the hospital authorities, plaster had also come off in another room of the facility. However, Dr Karwa denied that the building had any widespread structural issue. Officials have called a mason to assess the damaged portion and determine whether it needs to be removed completely or repaired.
The incident drew criticism from the Congress, which alleged that the condition of public facilities in Rajasthan reflected poor governance. The party claimed that people visiting hospitals for treatment were being exposed to risks because of deteriorating infrastructure. It also levelled allegations of corruption and neglect of public safety against the state government.
Rajasthan Congress president Govind Singh Dotasra also criticised the government, alleging that deteriorating conditions in schools and hospitals reflected wider governance concerns. He described the incident as an example of the problems facing public infrastructure in the state.
The state government had not issued a response to the allegations at the time of reporting.
