MUMBAI, Sept. 6 -- The civic-run Dr RN Cooper Hospital in Juhu is in the grip of a severe crisis. Untreated biomedical waste is piling up in its backyard; housekeeping staff is picking up blood-soaked sheets in operation theatres; rodents run freely in the wards; and, recently, OPD operations nearly collapsed when hospital staff failed to turn up at work. HT visited the 940-bed hospital on Friday and saw bags of wet and dry waste collecting in the hospital's backyard, with crows hovering. At least 30 large garbage bags filled with untreated biomedical waste were thrown in the open area behind the hospital. The waste was cleared by 4 pm, but fresh biomedical waste was once again dumped there shortly after. According to hospital staff, hazardous waste sometimes remains in the backyard for an entire week before it is taken away. "We have repeatedly raised concerns about this with the hospital administration but nothing has changed," said a housekeeping employee. Hospital sources say repeated interventions by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and hospital administration have yielded no results. For instance, housekeeping staff are denied cleaning supplies by the contractor hired by the hospital. Even basic disinfectants to clean floors and brooms are not provided. Hygiene has hit such a low that nurses have been purchasing these items for use in the hospital. Workers have been washing bedsheets by hand, using detergents to remove stains - there are no washing machines, no disinfectants, or sterilisation processes available. "To top it all, we are paid once every two months and often skip a month's salary in between. Often, we clean operation theatres after surgeries, picking up blood-soaked sheets and materials off the ground. This is actually a BMC cleaner's job," said another housekeeping employee. Cooper Hospital is also grappling with rodent infestation, not surprising considering its hygiene and sanitation crisis. Earlier this week, the hospital administration announced pest-control measures after videos of rats inside wards were widely circulated. Rats and cockroaches are routinely seen in the wards, nurses' rest rooms and even inside elevators. In the wards, staff say rats roam freely through the night. In an alarming sight for a hospital, rat traps have been placed across the hospital. Even daily visits by pest-control workers haven't helped. Nurses say food waste left by patients and their relatives in the wards is further attracting rodents and roaches. "It is very distressing to see cockroaches running on the walls and floors. Pest-control measures make no difference. It makes us sick to have them in places where we eat," said a staff member at the hospital. An 85-year-old patient was allegedly bitten by a rat after being admitted for chest pain. She was bitten on Wednesday night on her hand, hospital staff said. A staff shortage has compounded the crisis. "There are only 260-odd nurses for a hospital as large as this. We have to work unusually long hours," said a nurse. The crisis is apparent the moment patients enter the hospital. Registration counters at the OPD and casualty department are frequently shut or operate with only one or two clerks. On Friday, queues stretched up to the hospital entrance. Several patients said they had waited from morning until afternoon for basic registration. Some paid fees twice due to errors at the counters. Others were wandering from one desk to another, trying to get their medical reports stamped. As if this wasn't dire enough, patients are reporting shortages of essential medicines. Many are being asked to buy drugs from pharmacies outside the hospital, burdening them with additional expenses. Asif Sheikh, 29, whose 55-year-old mother underwent a surgery on Friday morning, said, "The doctors asked us to buy even injections and IV bottles, each costing Rs.2,000. We cannot afford this. And cleanliness levels are pathetic. We are afraid for our mother's health." A doctor at the hospital admitted that medical supplies such as basic antibiotics, gauze, cotton and injections were not being stocked. "We have to ask patients to get them from pharmacies outside. The lack of cleaning staff has caused a hygiene crisis in the wards. It is difficult to expect patients to heal under these conditions." Neelam Andrade, director of all BMC hospitals and acting dean of Cooper Hospital, told HT, "We are doing everything we can to resolve the issues at the hospital. When I took charge, there were around 800 pending files left by the previous dean and nearly 300 pending payment orders for medical supplies, which had caused vendors to stop providing essential items like medicines and drugs. These have since been cleared. We are working hard to bring the hospital back to normalcy." Regarding the rat infestation, Andrade said, "We have issued a show-cause notice to the housekeeping contractor as it was their responsibility to prevent such lapses. Rat traps and sticky pads have been placed throughout the hospital to ensure there is no recurrence. The woman allegedly bitten today has been given the necessary care, including anti-rabies medication." On tackling the severe staff shortage, Andrade said there is a proposal to increase the tenure of contractual employees or introduce new tenders for new contracts. A new committee with SOPs for biomedical and general waste management has also been set up to monitor the process regularly. Former dean Dr Shailesh Mohite is part of this committee. "The hospital is in a difficult position due to the previous administration, but we are addressing these challenges step by step. It may take one to two weeks for normalcy to return," Andrade said....