BJP seeks funds from Centre for multi-specialty hospital in Solan

Ambika Sharma

Solan, July 17

With Solan lacking in healthcare facilities, BJP leaders have urged Union Health and Family Welfare Minister JP Nadda to grant a critical care block and level III trauma centre to the town.

Dr Rajesh Kashyap, member of BJP’s state executive, who recently met Nadda in Delhi, said the paucity of funds was stalling the progress of the multi-specialty hospital, which was coming up on the Katherbypass in Solan.

“Despite the district contributing the highest GST to the state, the healthcare facilities here are i dire straits. The government is unable to arrange funds for the multi-specialty hospital. A critical care block and level III trauma centre has been sought for Solan from the Union Health and Family Welfare Minister,” Dr Kashyap said.

Set up in 1972 as a tehsil hospital, the Regional Hospital here was upgraded to a district hospital and later to its present status with no appreciable increase in the staff and infrastructure.

The hospital caters to patients from Sirmaur district, the Chopal area of Shimla district, besides Solan district. It sees over 1,500 outdoor patients a day. The existing infrastructure is considered inadequate to handle the rush.

Solan is the home turf of state Health and Family Welfare Minister DR Shandil who had “failed” to ensure adequate funds, though he claimed to be providing uninterrupted flow of funds for the project, the BJP leader said.

In a bid to provide more facilities, land measuring 59,814 sq metre was allocated for the construction of the new multi-specialty hospital at Kather bypass by the previous BJP government. It had sanctioned Rs 29 crore as against the total cost of Rs 90.33 crore. A sum of Rs 10 crore was made available to the hospital several years ago to set up a mother-and-child healthcare (MCH) facility. However, the centre did not come up due to the lack of space in the old hospital. Now, these funds are being utilised for the new building.

“A sum of Rs 3 crore has been sanctioned for the project by the present Congress government, which was appalling. Funds have been sought from the Union Minister to ensure its early completion,” added Dr Kashyap.

Notably, the construction of the hospital has slowed due to the paucity of funds.

“A sum of Rs 30 crore has been sought from the state government to complete the first block. A sum of Rs 32 crore has already been spent till now with Rs 1 crore having been recently received from the state government, though the contractor was yet to be paid about Rs 7-8 crore,” said Ravi Bhatti, Executive Engineer, Public Works Department, Solan.