Ggm: Bureaucratic delay slows construction of govt hospital

NEW DELHI: The long-drawn bureaucratic process as it seems is again proving to be a major impediment in the building of new government hospital. Despite the budget and design being approved, the authorities have not gone ahead to demolish the old building in order to develop the new structure.

It is important to note that the process of construction, according to the district health department, should have begun by February. The delays, however, have resulted in the entire process now being dragged to April.

Even though the public healthcare services in Gurugram have also been the topic for major criticism for the state government, its of more significance this time, when the residents are dealing with the fear of the spread of Coronavirus.

“We are in the process of getting some approvals after which the process of demolition will start. We hope to begin the process of construction soon,” said a senior official from Gurugram health department.

A budget of Rs 243 crore has been earmarked for the revamping of the Gurugram Civil hospital near Sadar area that has been out of use since February 2019. According to the plan, the revamped government hospital will have eight floors and over 500 beds for the patients, which will be an increase from 200 beds it possessed earlier. The new and revamped hospital will have facilities like dialysis unit and the burn wards, the services that are not available as of now in the government hospitals of Gurugram.

Situated in Sadar area, the Gurugram Civil hospital was vacated after it was declared unfit and unsafe for usage.

As of now, public healthcare facilities are being provided at Sector 10. Even though the government department claims that all the services are available in this hospital, the patients do not seem to be impressed. Moreover, the patients have also expressed their dissatisfaction with the distance they have to cover to go to the hospital. Based on RTI information filed by social activist Mohit Khatana, there have been 1,694 patients being referred to AIIMS and Safdarjung hospital in 2019.

A budget of Rs 243 crore has been earmarked for the revamping of the Gurugram Civil hospital near Sadar area that has been out of use since February 2019