After a wait of nine long years, the Gandhi Centenary Eye hospital located in Dalanwala, has finally been reopened for public. The Chief Minister Harish Rawat inaugurated the new building of the hospital on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti on Sunday.
Speaking on the occasion, Rawat congratulated the health department for opening a tertiary medical care facility for eye in the State capital. He however asked the senior officials of health department to find ways under which the hospital is made into a society run centre instead of a Government run facility. Rawat candidly admitted that it is difficult to maintain quality in a Government run facility. He said that diseases related to eye, ear and nose are more prevalent in the State and efforts should be made to hold series of eye camps in different parts of the State.
Expressing deep concern on high incidences of anemia and obstetric related problems in State, the CM called upon the social organisation to lend a helping hand in the Government’s campaign for minimising these diseases.
He accepted that the State Government has achieved limited success when it comes to provide medical facilities at the doorstep of common people but said that the Government has made amends by bringing everyone under a medical insurance umbrella, the Mukhyamantri Swasthaya Bima Yojna (MSBY) under which one can get treatment at the health facility of his choice.
Speaking on the occasion, the Rajpur road MlA, Rajkumar said that the people from Dehradun and remote areas of Garhwal division would be benefitted by the eye hospital.
The Principal Secretary (PS) Health, Om Prakash said that the Gandhi Centenary Eye medical science centre has come up with a cost of `21.54 crores. He said that a budget of `15 Crore is earmarked for purchase of equipment out of which a sum of `6 crore would be released soon. He informed that apart from eye, the OPDs of Medicine, ENT, Neurosurgery, Maxillofacial surgery would also start in the centre. The PS said that facilities in the centre would be improved gradually and plan to open an eye bank in the centre is also on anvil.
The director of the centre and former Professor of Ophthalmology at HIHT Jollygrant, Dr RC Nagpal said that all types of eye surgeries would be conducted in the hospital. He said that centre would have eight wards with a capacity of 54 beds for eye patients. The hospital would have four major and two minor Operation Theatres (OT) for eye.
The hospital would start running in its full capacity from November 09. The health department has posted two retired eye surgeons Dr NH Jangpangi and Dr lM Sundariyal in the hospital. The eye specialist of Doon hospital Dr Rupleen would be third eye specialist in the centre. The health department has decided that only generic medicines would be prescribed in the centre.
The programme was attended by Additional Secretary Health Niraj Khairwal, Director General (DG) Health Kusum Nariyal, Vipin Nagalia, Rakesh Oberoi, District Magistrate of Dehradun Ravi Nath Raman and large number of people belonging to medical fraternity.