Hospitals hit hard by India’s drought
Along with other doctors in Indian cities facing unprecedented water shortages, T.N. Ravisankar in Chennai is praying for rain — and soon.
Treating patients will “depend on God’s mercy” if water supplies in India’s fourth-largest metropolis aren’t replenished shortly, said Ravisankar, the chairman of Sudar hospitals, a chain of four clinics with 150 beds. Piped water at his hospitals has dried up, and even the more expensive water trucks he now relies on may be unavailable soon in the state of Tamil Nadu.
“The cost escalation will have to be passed on to patients, who will have to spend more,” Ravisankar said. “If the situation continues, after a month we won’t be able to serve patients.”
Lack of rain last year and delays in this year’s annual monsoon have left nearly half of India facing drought-like conditions, according to the South Asia Drought Monitor. Tamil Nadu is trapped in a “severe dry” cycle along with other states such as Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra.
India has witnessed widespread droughts in four of the past five years, and the government forecasts that per head availability of water will fall by 35% next year from 2001 levels. Hospitals, which rely on water for sanitation and preventing infections, are suffering as the cost of water rises.
The administration of Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a water conservation awareness program on July 1. Yet it’s unclear if the measures will be enough to ensure a steady supply of clean water.
Almost all of Chennai’s hospitals are now completely dependent on the more than 5,000 privately owned tankers that ferry water around the city every day, according to N. Nijalingam, president of the Tamil Nadu Private Water Tanker Lorry Owners’ Association.
The water shortages risk further hurting the already struggling staterun health system. India spends only around 1% of GDP on healthcare, and aims to increase it to 2.5% by 2025. By comparison, nations whose entire populations have access to health services spend as much as 6% of GDP on insurance and healthcare, according to the World Health Organization.
In Chennai, Ravisankar says a long-term solution is needed. Rainfall in southern India this week was 30% below normal levels, according to the India Meteorological Department.
“Right now, there’s an emergency so the government is bringing water by trains,” Ravisankar said, referring to supplies that are typically reserved for drinking water instead of hospitals. “But beyond this? It’s all left to nature.”