News Tamil Nadu

Chennai’s Stanley Government Hospital Canteen Closed After Rats Were Found Feasting On Food

November 14, 2023
The Commune

In the Government Stanley Medical College and Hospital in Chennai, the canteen was shut down after a video surfaced, capturing a rat brazenly feasting on food stored for public consumption.

The problem surfaced when a relative of a patient visited the hospital canteen and observed a rat moving among the food items stored in a glass container.

He bore witness to a rat scurrying through bajji and vada in a glass storage box. Upon confronting the staff about the alarming situation, they were met with a dismissive response. As soon as one of the persons started taking video, the manager of the canteen started to play safe by shooing away the rat with a stick and later clearing away the rat-infested food.

Taking cognizance of the severity of the issue, Chennai’s designated food safety officer, Dr P Sateesh Kumar, conducted an inspection of the canteen following complaints about a rat infestation. Dr Kumar revealed, “We found rats in snacks prepared two days ago. The manager will be asked to pay a fine of ₹5,000 for not maintaining hygiene. We have issued him a show-cause notice. The canteen will be allowed to reopen only after we ensure it is clean and safe.”

The incident raises questions about the overall hygiene and cleanliness standards within the hospital’s food facilities.

In response to the incident, the India Today reported that Dr. P Balaji, the hospital dean, took action to close the canteen.

Notably, the staff had been granted leave due to the Deepavali festival, resulting in the canteen being inactive for the past two days with no food items sold to the public.

The dean of the medical college claimed that all stored food has been completely removed and discarded, ensuring it was not made available to the public. The canteen will remain closed until a thorough cleaning is carried out, he said.

However, Thinakaran Rajamani of The New Indian Express noted that a few months ago the hospital dean of Theni Government Medical College was suspended for allegedly collecting bribe from a hospital canteen owner. This has raised concerns about the condition of canteens in other government hospitals.

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