The canteen at Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital in Chennai has been shut after the Food Safety Department suspended its licence for unhygienic kitchen conditions, improper food storage and poor staff hygiene. Sale of food will remain stopped until the required corrective measures are completed and verified through further inspections.
The action follows complaints about the quality of food served at the government hospital, which receives thousands of patients and attendants every day. The complaints were submitted through social media, including a complaint routed through the chief minister’s cell three days before the inspection, according to K Tamil Selvan, designated food safety officer for Chennai.
Officials inspected the canteen kitchen and found slippery and oily floors, damaged vessels and food stocks that had not been stored properly in freezers. Prepared food was also found uncovered, while visitors were being served in conditions that officials considered unhygienic.
The inspection also found that staff involved in cooking and serving food were not wearing gloves or head caps. The department said complaints had been received about the quality of sambar, half-cooked rice and the overall standard of food served at the canteen.
“We found slippery and oily floors, damaged vessels, and food stocks that were not stored properly in freezers,” Tamil Selvan said, according to the report. He added that the inspection was conducted after a complaint was received through the chief minister’s cell.
The department had previously inspected the canteen and issued an improvement notice. However, the hospital management did not complete the required rectification work, prompting the suspension of the licence and the stoppage of food sales.
The licence can be renewed after the canteen management completes the specified improvements and submits a letter from the hospital administration to the Food Safety Department. Officials will then conduct further inspections before deciding whether the canteen can resume operations.
Authorities also inspected a tea shop operating on the hospital premises. The shop was fined ₹10,000 for unhygienic conditions and an additional ₹5,000 for using plastic and newspapers to wrap food for customers. The department has decided to issue the tea shop an improvement notice as well.
The food outlets will therefore remain subject to corrective action and regulatory follow-up before their operations can be restored. The next formal step for the hospital canteen is submission of the hospital administration’s letter after the required rectification work has been completed.
