Manpower creation, purchase of machinery await approval
Govind Sharma
JAMMU, Oct 3: Planned in 2011 by the NC-Congress Government, the 200-bedded Maternity Hospital in the premises of Government Hospital, Gandhi Nagar, is yet to be made functional though over 8 years have passed thanks to faulty planning by the concerned agency and slow funding by the Union Government.
Official sources told Excelsior that the hospital was conceived during Coalition Government of National Conference and Congress in view of huge rush at SMGS Hospital, which generally remains overcrowded. The proposal for the hospital was taken up with the then Union Government, which agreed and accordingly, a budget of Rs 50 crore was approved for the hospital under Prime Minister’s Development Package (PMDP).
They said the target was to complete the project by the end of 2014-15 financial year but due to slow funding by the Union Government and faulty planning by the concerned agency in making design of the hospital building, the project jumped several deadlines and is still incomplete.
Though the construction work of the hospital building is complete as per those at the helm of affairs in Health and Medical Education Department but sources said the present infrastructure created by the PWD has many flaws, which were also pointed out by a team of experts headed by Principal, GMC Jammu, Dr Sunanda Raina during its visit to the hospital building about four-five months back.
Sources said that the team of experts observed that there was no suction plant and gas plant in the hospital building, Radiology Section was not as per guidelines, labour room and pathological/biochemistry labs were not as per requirement and even no rooms were built for doctors/consultants.
Besides this, sources said the team of experts was not satisfied with one-way approach road and the parking facility which can accommodate at the most 25 four-wheelers while when made functional the hospital will have more than 100 doctors and even they will not get parking for their vehicles what to say about other staff, patients and their attendants.
“The experts including HoDs of Gynae, Pediatrics and Anesthesia sought some modifications in infrastructure as per their requirement to create ICU, NICU and wards for which the concerned agency had demanded additional funds to the tune of about Rs 16 lakh from the Finance Department but the same is yet to be released,” sources revealed.
They further said that creation of manpower and purchase of machinery/equipments, which are most important aspects to start any hospital, have yet not received due attention of the concerned authorities.
When contacted, Principal Secretary, Health and Medical Education Department, Atal Dulloo, said that construction work of the Hospital is complete but some modification work as per the requirement of concerned HoDs is yet to be done. Regarding jurisdiction over the hospital, he said that it will function as an Associated Hospital of GMC Jammu.
Regarding manpower and machinery/equipments, Atal Dulloo said that the files for purchase of machinery and creation of about 237 posts comprising doctors, paramedics, technicians and IV Class workers have been forwarded to Finance Department and they are waiting for approval.
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