PGI to deploy sanitary staff at toilets, ask for your feedback

Chandigarh: In a major push towards improving hygiene and patient care, PGI is all set to overhaul its public toilets. The premier medical institute has announced the introduction of dedicated sanitary staff and public feedback system for every public toilet across its campus.Under this new initiative, every public toilet in the hospital will have a designated sanitary worker assigned to it. Names and contact numbers of these workers will be prominently displayed outside the restrooms.The move aims at providing people, patients, and their attendants direct access to the staff responsible for the maintenance of that specific facility, allowing them to report any cleanliness issues immediately.PGI officials have confirmed that the hospital is actively hiring additional sanitary workers to ensure adequate coverage. The system has already been successfully rolled out on a pilot basis at the newly constructed Advanced Neuroscience Centre.Following its positive reception and effectiveness, authorities are now preparing to replicate this model across all other centres, departments, and buildings on the campus.Highlighting the importance of the initiative, Dr Rajeev Chauhan, additional medical superintendent at the Advanced Neuroscience Centre, PGI, said hygiene remains a top priority for any healthcare institution.“The main concern in any hospital is hygiene. Toilets, for that matter, are often not clean, so we have decided to introduce this system,” Dr Chauhan said.Drawing a parallel with high-traffic commercial spaces, he added, “If we can have clean toilets at airports and malls, we can have it here too.”With thousands of patients and visitors frequenting PGI daily, maintaining toilet sanitation has long been a significant challenge.“By ensuring accountability and establishing a direct line of communication between the public and cleaning staff, sanitation standards can hopefully foster a healthier hospital environment,” said an official in the hospital administration.