Taking a stern view of delay in implementation of healthcare-related projects, a Parliamentary Standing Committee has asked the UT Administration to consider such pending projects and approve it within three months to enhance the healthcare facility in Chandigarh.
In its latest report that was tabled in Parliament, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs has recommended that the proposals for dedicated Mother and Child Care Unit, super-specialty block, mental health institute and trauma centre in Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32 (GMCH-32) should be considered and approved within three months to enhance health care facility in Chandigarh and the work should commence immediately thereafter.
The Standing Committee in its previous recommendations had asked the Administration to expand and modernise GMCH-32 so that it would cater to the needs of more and more people.
The GMCH-32 caters to not only the population of Chandigarh but also extends its medical facilities to the surrounding States of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jammu & Kashmir and the health institution is today over-burdened due to the large number of patients’ everyday.
In the action taken report, the UT Administration had elaborated that the hospital has 90 beds for the department of Gynecology & Obstetrics with bed occupancy of almost 400. And, a dedicated 300-bedded Mother and Child Centre is proposed to be set up to meet the increasing demand for implementation of Government of India’s policy for conducting institutional deliveries.
Also, there is a proposal of full fledged Super-Specialty block where treatment for patients suffering from Cardiac, Neurosurgical, Urology, Gastroenterology, Nephrology ailments etc. will be provided. For Trauma Centre, the Administration has allotted 10 acres of land in Sector 53 and funds have been allocated for appointment of a consultant for the project, submitted the administration.
Besides, a Mental Health Institute has been planned for which funds have been received from the Government of India. Notably, the UT Administration had sent a request letter to Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to include GMCH-32 in the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Surksha Yojna (PMSSY) scheme for allocation of funds.
Chandigarh, the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana has a large number of health centres among the existing three tertiary care (super specialty) hospitals, two community health centres, one polyclinic, four alternative medical units and nearly 16 sub-centres, which are catering to the health care services of over 11 lakh people in and around the city.
UT asked to implement MSMED Act at once
Taking strong exception of non-implementation of MSMED Act 2006 in the Union Territory of Chandigarh, the Parliamentary Committee has asked the Administration to implement the said Act in letter and spirit immediately.
“It has also been brought to the notice of the Committee that the Ministry of Home Affairs has written to the UT Administration for implementing the Act, however, the UT Administration is not implementing it in full. The Committee desires that the said Act may be immediately implemented without fail within a stipulated time frame,” stated the Committee in its report.
Further expressing dissatisfaction over the finalisation of UT industrial policy, the Committee asked the Administration to review the draft industrial policy and notify it at the earliest.
Notably, the UT Administration has prepared the draft industrial policy after taking inputs from concerned Department and stakeholders. The key features of the draft industrial policy included infrastructure development to promote investment, discouraging polluting industries, Single Window Committee, skill development and other promotional measures, facilitation of MSEs among others.