After having been charged by the people at the COVID-19 ward about the dirty toilets at the hospital, Puducherry Health Minister Malladi Krishna Rao had swung into action and rather directing the sanitary workers to clean the toilets, he wore the hazmat suit, went to the toilet and started cleaning by himself. 

The video clip showing the minister cleaning the toilet in the COVID-19 ward at the Indira Gandhi Government Medical College and Hospital in Puducherry has been rampantly shared across the social media. In the video, he can be seen wearing the white hazmat suit, face mask, and a face shield and cleaning the surface of the bathroom. 

According to the reports, around 75 patients have been admitted at the ward and the hospital has been facing a challenge in maintenance of the ward owing to the dearth of the sanitary workers and when the Health Minister went to the ward for inspection, the patients had complained about the dirty toilets and lack of proper maintenance following which he immediately took the brush and went to the toilet and cleaned its surface. 

#WATCH Puducherry Health Minister Malladi Krishna Rao cleaned a toilet at a #COVID19 ward at Indira Gandhi Govt Medical College & Hospital, during his visit to the hospital today. pic.twitter.com/3LFRrtD3iQ

— ANI (@ANI) August 29, 2020

Puducherry has been facing a dearth of doctors and nurses in the government hospitals and on Saturday, Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi had ordered the Health Department to engage with the health professionals on a contract basis to treat the COVID-19 patients amid soaring cases in the Union Territory. 

The government then moved to appoint about 460 health workers which include doctors, nurses, sanitary workers, and other staff on a contract basis to meet the shortage and to treat the suffering patients. On Saturday, Health Minister Malladi Krishna Rao said that 80 nurses would be reporting to duty on August 30 and the government would be having the required manpower in place by the next weekend. 

According to Puducherry's health department, the union territory has reported 13,556 cases so far as of August 29 of which 4834 are active, 8511 have been discharged, and 211 had succumbed to the viral infection. In the Union territory, Pondicherry has more cases followed by Karaikal, Yanam, and Mahe. On Saturday, it has reported 550 fresh cases and Puducherry Congress party president and former speaker of the Puducherry assembly Subramanian had tested positive for COVID-19 on the same day and he has been under home quarantine.