Patients a harried lot as Solan hospital lacks basic facilities
Ambika Sharma
Tribune News Service
Solan, September 8
The non-functional equipment and a space constraint at the regional hospital in Solan, besides the delay in the construction of a new hospital building despite several announcements by the state government has left residents in the lurch.
The hospital witnesses a daily influx of more than 800 patients in outdoor patient departments (OPDs). The non-functional CT scan, dental X-ray machines, among other key equipment, are posing inconvenience to the common man. They are forced to turn to private labs and spend more on lab tests.
As per Indian Public Health Standards guidelines, the seating arrangement is supposed to be as per the patient load but one can see patients jostling for space in queues in the narrow corridors of the hospital. The need for a new hospital has been felt in the city from many years but the successive governments have failed to pay heed.
The tardy pace of setting up a new hospital at the Kather bypass is clear from the fact that in the last three and a half years, merely the land could be transferred in the name of the Health and Family Welfare Department.
Not only this, a new CT Scan machine has failed to be installed despite the lapse of more than a month and a half. A private company, Krishan Diagnostics, which has been entrusted the task to install the same has failed to do so in the stipulated time. Even the installation of the dental X-ray machine was awaiting completion. This was causing hardships to the patients who were visiting the hospital.
Dr SL Verma, Medical Superintendent, said, “An estimate of Rs 90-33 crore for constructing the new hospital has been prepared and was sent to the Directorate of Health Services last week.”
He said hopefully, the funds would be released soon and work to construct the new hospital would begin thereafter.
He said, “A five-member committee had been constituted in the hospital which has finalised the drawings for the new hospital building. A preliminary drawing was prepared by the Public Works Department staff and need-based changes have now been suggested.”
He said, “Krishan Diagnostics has failed to install the CT Scan machine as well as the complete dental X-ray installation equipment within the stipulated time. The company has been given written warnings too, but to no avail.”
Notably, Solan district is the home turf of the state’s Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Rajiv Saizal.
Such helplessness by the hospital staff to get the machines installed has left little hope for the patients. Congress MLA DR Shandil said it was unfortunate that people suffered under these circumstances and the regional hospital lacked adequate facilities. He also alleged that private labs were being promoted and testing equipment in the hospital were being deliberately not installed in time.
Key machines non-functional
The hospital witnesses a daily influx of more than 800 patients in its outdoor patient departments (OPDs). The non-functional CT scan, dental X-ray machines, among other key equipment, are posing inconvenience to the patients.
