Schemes lie in cold storage; patients denied advanced healthcare
The poor people repose a great faith on the Rourkela Government Hospital (RGH) to avail treatment for free or at nominal cost.
Besides patients from half of Sundergarh district, patients from neighbouring States like Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh too make a beeline at the hospital for better treatment. Keeping in view the flow of patients, the State and the Central Governments sanctioned crores of rupees for expansion of the hospital in past years. But the delay in construction works has raised eyebrows here.
Sources said the main reason behind the delay in work progress is lack of proper supervision. As the CMO is overburdened with work, he does not get time to supervise the construction work. Considering the increase of accident patients coming to the hospital, then Union Health Secretary PK Hota had announced for a trauma centre at the RGH in 2005 and accordingly on October 4, 2006 a sanction order of Rs1.5 crore was made by the Centre and then State Health Secretary Chinmay Basu had laid its foundation stone. Source said the then CMO, RGH had deposited the amount with the R&B department on June 8, 2007 and the work had started on November 27, 2007. While a sum of more than Rs66 lakh was spent on casualty building construction, Rs3.15 was spent on purchase of an ambulance, Rs1 lakh kept for transportation and another Rs66 lakh kept in bank for purchase of equipment.
After completion of the building work with the initiative of the then CMO Dr Rajendra Pattanik, the casualty was opened on January 26, 2011 and additional Rs5 lakh from NRHM was spent towards other accessory measures. But surprisingly after the retirement of Dr Pattanik on January 31, 2011, the unit has been closed down because of staff crunch. In the meantime, the construction work of the trauma centre is still going on very slowly and the burn centre construction work is yet to be started.
Though the State health department has already sanctioned Rs67 lakh for staff quarter, Rs50 lakh for the trauma centre, Rs25 lakh for first floor of outdoor building, and Rs25 lakh for electricity installation, but not a single work has been completed so far.
Similarly, the Rourkela Steel Plant has contributed Rs1 crore under its CSR activities for construction a destitute ward, expansion of its OG ward and a rest shade. But so far, only laying of foundation stone was done. Besides, it is learnt that Rs100 crore has been sanctioned for construction of mother-child ward. Though one by one sanction is made for expansion of the RGH, but it seems nobody has any interest or accountability for completion of the work.