M A I N   N E W S

Amritsar hospital faces closure
Govt withdraws medical staff
Varinder Walia
Tribune News Service

Amritsar, July 21
The newly built multi-crore Jallianwala Martyrs’ Memorial Civil Hospital may face closure as the Civil Surgeon today directed the Deputy Medical Commissioner to relieve all the doctors and medical staff. With this the 22 indoor patients who underwent surgeries have been left high and dry.

Chief Secretary Rajan Kashyap said the civil hospital was being handed over to the private sector on an ‘experimental basis’ with a view to improving the health services in the state. He said 900 posts of doctor and 3000 posts of para-medical staff in the state were vacant and efforts were afoot to streamline the health services.

However, the fate of the indoor patients is not clear. Dr Jagjit Kaur, however, sought a clarification from the Civil Surgeon about the shifting of patients who were recently operated upon.

Dr Kanwaljit Singh, Civil Surgeon, however, said he had written a date-bound letter to the Deputy Medical Commissioner, Dr Jagjit Kaur, to relieve the staff on the basis of clear instructions issued by the state government so that posts in the border areas could be filled on a priority basis. He, however, agreed that health services in the district, especially in the civil hospital, would be adversely affected.

The decision of the state government to hand over the civil hospital to the private sector has raised many an eyebrow as it was inaugurated in October 2001 only. The hospital built at a cost of Rs 15 crore was handed over to the Health System Corporation in January, last year.