100-bed hosp in Bhagwatpur by June end
PRAYAGRAJ : As part of efforts to strengthen medical infrastructure in rural areas in light of expected third wave of the pandemic, a 100-bed well-equipped hospital start functioning at Bhagwatpur development block of Prayagraj district soon.
Located around 15 km from the city, the hospital would not only help rural residents of Bhagwatpur, Kaudihar and Jasra development blocks but also villages of neighbouring Kaushambi district located on the Prayagraj-Kaushambi border, say officials. To make the hospital functional at the earliest, large number of equipment used at the temporary 100-bed hospital set up at the tent city during Kumbh-2019 would be utilised in this new hospital, they added.
The state government has approved over Rs 4 crore for the construction of the hospital. It had released around Rs 1.43 crore as first instalment in March 2020. The government now also released Rs 2.62 crore as the second and final instalment for this hospital, said officials aware of the development.
Joint secretary Pranesh Chandra Shukla has conveyed the state government’s approval of the second and final instalment in this regard to director general (medical and health) in his missive dated May 27. Copies of the missive have also been marked to the district magistrate and the chief medical officer of Prayagraj. “The 100-bed hospital is to be made ready by this month end,” said Prayagraj DM Bhanu Chandra Goswami. “Radico Khetan is establishing a 200 LPM oxygen generation plant at this hospital. It too will start working by June end,” he added.
Even as the construction is underway at full-pace, efforts have begun to ensure technical and non-technical manpower need for the hospital to function smoothly.
The DM said CMO Dr Prabhakar Rai had written a letter to the state government requesting for appointing staff also at this hospital.
“Until the additional staff get appointed here, it will be run and managed by making a pool of existing staff in the district,” he said.