Due to flooding caused by a torrential downpour last week, a doctor's office has been forced to remain closed.
On Thursday night, the East Leicester Medical Practice in Leicester's Uppingham Road experienced a roof leak.
Up to 40 patients and staff were immediately evacuated, according to doctor and co-partner Dr. Azhar Farooqi.
Due to the practice's temporary closure, he expressed concern for his 13,000 patients.
Travel safety advisories were issued on Thursday as a result of flash flooding that was caused by heavy rain in Leicestershire.
One of the largest medical facilities in the city, according to Dr. Farooqi, water was "gushing down like a waterfall" there.
He claimed that the roof had suffered a significant failure. "It was almost as if a swimming pool had been dumped on the building because so much water entered it in such a short amount of time.
"It was very frightening and upsetting for my staff. They quickly found themselves ankle-deep in water.
"All the electricity turned out to be unsafe, which made the situation very dangerous. In addition to losing power, having a broken phone system, wet computers, and damaged patient records.
"The building had to be shut down and evacuated right away. ".
The surgery has been closed since because of the severe water damage, according to Dr. Farooqi, who also said that all 50 staff members have been relocated to nearby practices.
He expressed concern that the structure might be rendered inoperable for a number of months while repairs are made.
We provide daily general practitioner services to 13,000 patients and broader community services to more than 50,000 patients in the east of the city, so this is a really serious situation, he said.
"We called in a few patients to be seen after begging and borrowing a few consulting rooms around the city. ".
Although most patients would have trouble accessing their services, which could be up to three miles away, he claimed that the emergency setup was "not ideal.".
The biggest challenge, according to Dr. Farooqi, was the phone system because patients could only call a mobile number because it had been "completely" destroyed.
It has been entirely inadequate, he declared. We have been extremely concerned for patients with urgent medical needs and those who have run out of their medication and require repeat prescriptions. ".
One mobile unit has been set up in the parking lot of the surgery, according to the doctor, and more are anticipated in the coming days.
Additionally, calling 111 or visiting a pharmacy are recommended ways for patients to get medical care.
