Chennai: The canteen in the city’s biggest govt hospital — Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital — has been shut for food safety violations after officials found unhygienic kitchens, improperly stored food and poor personal hygiene among staff. The food safety department suspended its licence and stopped sale of food until corrective measures are taken. Thousands of patients and their attendants visit the hospital every day and many rely on the canteen food.Following multiple complaints received through social media, the department had earlier inspected the canteen and issued an improvement notice. However, the hospital management failed to carry out the required rectifications.“A complaint was received through the CM cell three days ago, based on which we conducted an inspection of the hospital canteen kitchen premises. We found slippery and oily floors, damaged vessels, and food stocks that were not stored properly in freezers,” said K Tamil Selvan, designated officer, Chennai.Officials found that prepared food was not properly covered and that visitors were being served under unhygienic conditions. Staff were not wearing gloves or head caps while cooking and serving food. “There were complaints about the quality of sambar, half-cooked rice, and the overall food quality,” Tamil Selvan added.The licence will be renewed after the canteen management completes the required rectification work and submits a letter from the hospital administration to the department, following which the authorities will conduct further inspections.Authorities also inspected a tea shop functioning on the hospital premises and imposed a penalty of ₹10,000 for unhygienic conditions. An additional ₹5,000 penalty was imposed for the use of plastic and newspapers to wrap food for customers. The food safety department has decided to issue an improvement notice to the tea shop.
