Sickening smell, suffocation, patients jostling for space and unhygienic corridors are going to be thing of the past at lok Nayak Hospital as a new state-of-the-art OPD (Out Patient Department) block will be thrown open to public next month.
With adequate waiting area, the new block is bigger than the existing structure and will cater five times higher footfall. The civic construction has almost been completed and the process of giving the final touch has been expedited after the recent visit of lieutenant-Governor Najeeb Jung. The l-G has vowed to convert the hospital into a model healthcare facility in the Capital.
Medical Superintendent of lN Hospital Dr Sidharth Ramji told The Pioneer that the new OPD block was long pending demand as footfall has increased manifold over the years. “We have spoken to the PWD and it is likely that by next month the facility will be functional. lieutenant-Governor Najeeb Jung had inspected the ongoing work and he was convinced that there was need for more waiting space,” said Ramji.
The Medical Superintendent further said as there has been significant rise in the number of patients visiting the facility in the past few years, the administration has been facing difficulties to accommodate all of them. He added with the completion of the new block, the hospital will be able to cater them effectively.
“With the amount of facilities being offered to people in terms of monetary benefits like free treatment, footfalls have been on rise. We receive patients from all over Delhi and also from neighbouring States. On an average, nearly 25,000 patients per day come to the hospital for treatment. The number of patients is likely to be increased hence we have created more space in the new OPD and it would accommodate over 1.25 lakh people per day,” he said.
“The OPD will also be centrally air conditioned. This will ensure the comfort of the patients and their attendants. The problem of sanitation should also be curbed with this since patients will not be waiting under unhygienic conditions,” said Ramji.