Thu Apr 24 19:45:57 UTC 2025: ## Chennai Hospital Grapples with Stray Dog Menace After Bites
**Chennai, April 25, 2025** – Two residents of the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) in Chennai were bitten by stray dogs this week, prompting a response from the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC). The GCC deployed a team of dog catchers, capturing three dogs for observation. While the bites were reportedly minor and the victims treated, the incident highlights a larger ongoing issue: a significant stray dog population on the IMH campus.
Hospital staff estimate 45 to 60 dogs roam the grounds, causing fear among postgraduate medical students, particularly after dark. The problem has persisted for years, with the Dean of Madras Medical College and Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital raising the concern with the GCC following student complaints.
The GCC has undertaken sterilization and vaccination drives, with approximately 30 dogs vaccinated last month. However, the large campus size makes controlling the population challenging. While some dogs were sterilized and released back onto the campus in accordance with the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023, the corporation maintains there are no specific guidelines prohibiting stray dogs near hospitals.
Officials acknowledged the need for a solution but indicated that the decision on whether the IMH should be considered a community or hospital campus, and thus how to handle the stray dogs, rests beyond their authority, potentially requiring court intervention or legislative action. A special anti-rabies vaccination and sterilization drive is planned for the area this weekend. Calls to relocate the dogs from the hospital campus have been made, but the GCC cited jurisdictional limitations.
First Piper 