The stray dog menace has raised concerns among people visiting the Government Taluk Hospital at Karuvelippady in West Kochi. | Photo credit: Special arrangement
Rafeeque, 52, a resident of Thoppumpady, was admitted to the Government Maharaja Taluk Hospital in Karuvelippady, West Kochi, with a chest infection on December 31.
The next morning he was attacked by a pack of dogs outside the old hospital block where he was admitted. During the commotion, he fell and suffered injuries to his back and head. The incident was not isolated; a cleaning worker was allegedly bitten by a stray dog in the hospital area, which remains freely accessible due to the absence of a fence wall.
Karuvelippady division councilor Kavitha Harikumar, who visited the hospital after the latest incident, said the facility has effectively become a sanctuary for stray dogs. “I asked the hospital superintendent to take immediate steps to build a compound wall and restrict access. The superintendent in turn said it was the corporation’s responsibility after which I took up the matter with the mayor,” she said.
Ms. Harikumar noted that the usual practice of releasing stray dogs at the same place where they were caught after vaccination could not be used in the case of a hospital for obvious reasons. Instead, she suggested relocating the dogs to shelters.
The hospital has been without a compound wall for years after the previous one was demolished for proposed renovations funded by the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board. The proposal made little progress, and the wall was never rebuilt, leaving the premises open to stray dogs, which roam in large numbers at various times.
Hospital management declined to comment when contacted.
“How can they be so apathetic to a facility attended by the poorest of the poor when it is their only available health option in the region?” asked Jasmine Asharaf, the sister of Mr. Rafeeque and his bystander at the hospital. A massive cleaning campaign is planned for the hospital next week.
Published – 03 Jan 2026 21:02 IST
