Govind Sharma
JAMMU, Oct 2: The 200-bedded Government Super Speciality Hospital (SSH), Jammu, which became functional about 3 years back with “so called world class medical facilities” to Jammuites is itself on crutches.
The hospital came up with an estimated cost of Rs 115 crore under Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) and the project was taken up by Central Public Works Department (CPWD).
According to sources in the hospital, costly medical equipments and other machinery like Central Sterilization Unit, Chiller plants and five lifts worth crores were gathering dust due to lack of manpower and proper maintenance.
Sources said that there are five lifts in the hospital, one for staff while four others for patients and their attendants. But due to lack of manpower and proper maintenance, these lifts are non-functional for last over 15 months. Due to non-functioning of these lifts, patients and their attendants irrespective of their physical condition are forced to climb up/climb down the stairs to move from one floor to another but the authorities concerned cannot see the plight of the poor patients, as if they are in deep slumber.
Similarly, a full-fledged Central Sterilization Service Department (CSSD) with state of the art technology was established in the basement of hospital building with expenditure of over Rs one crore but it was run only partially for about 7-8 months and now, it is also lying closed for last over 18 months while the hospital is now dependent on its sterilization related needs on GMC Jammu.
“Moreover, 3 Chiller plants (AC plants) each of 225 ton in the hospital, is of world class but due to lack of proper maintenance they are not functioning properly as a result of which patients had to suffer in hot and humid weather, as there are no electric fans in the hospital, which is not properly ventilated.
“Same is the case with costly RO plant of the hospital, whose even full cost has not been paid to the company what to say of its maintenance cost”, sources said, adding hospital authorities still owed about Rs 45 lakh to the company which had installed the RO Plant and some days back when some fault erupted in RO plant, company engineers refused to attend the same and only after repeated requests and assurances that their liability will be cleared, they came and removed the fault.
“Every machinery demands proper service and technical hands to run it but perhaps it is not understood by the GMC authorities, who have either handed over these machineries to non-technical hands or shut them after the mechanical need based workers of GMC and associated hospitals went on strike on September 15 demanding their pending wages”, sources said, adding the strike affected most the functioning of SSH Jammu, as there is only two or three regular skilled employees while all other (62) are Need Based Workers, who were trained to operate these machines.
Sources told Excelsior that there is around Rs 2 crore of liability on hospital administration on account of AMC/CMC of these machineries including some medical equipment for the financial year 2015-16 and 2016-17 and out of these Rs 2 crore, Rs 42.05 lakh liability is on account of AMC of lifts, CSSD and Chiller plants only.
“With passing of each financial year, this liability will further increase, as the AMC/CMC of lifts, CSSD and Chiller Plants is about Rs 20-22 lakh with 10% hike ever year”, sources revealed. They further disclosed that in financial year 2014-15, an amount of Rs 4 lakh was released under Capex (non-plan) budget but as there was no provision for AMCs, so it could not be used for the same and thereafter, no funds were released by the Government for this purpose despites several communiqués to the Government by the office of Principal, GMCH, Jammu.
Despite repeated attempts, Principal, GMCH, Dr Zahid Gillani, could not be contacted for comments. However, sources said that about 10 days back, the Government had written a letter to Secretary, Health and Medical Education, seeking funds so that entire liability on account of AMC/CMC of various machinery and medical equipments in SSH could be cleared and hassle free facilities provided to the visiting patients.
Meanwhile, a score of patients of Super Speciality Hospital (SSH), Jammu along with their attendants today came on road in front of the hospital, and staged protest against the hospital administration for not ensuring proper functioning of AC plants of the hospital.
The protesting patients and their attendants said that AC plants of the hospital are not functioning since yesterday due to which they are suffering badly, as there is neither proper ventilation in the hospital nor any arrangement of electric fans to give them relief from this humid weather.
They raised slogans against the hospital administration demanding that the AC plants be made functional immediately so that they can get relief from this hot and humid weather. Protesting people blocked the road in front of the hospital and disrupted vehicular traffic for about half an hour.
Medical Superintendent, SSH Jammu, Dr AD Singh, and officers of Mechanical Division of the Hospital, reached the spot and pacified the protesting people by assuring that some alternate arrangements will be done to provide relief to them from hot and humid weather, as maintenance work of the AC plants is being done, which will take some days.
Meanwhile, a police team from police station Bakshi Nagar led by Inspector Ashwani Kumar, also reached the spot and cleared the blockage by pacifying the protestors.
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