Five hi-tech laboratories in 24x7 hospitals soon

The State Health Department is planning to come up with five mother laboratories in the national Capital to carry out diagnostic tests more effectively for patients. The laboratories will be set up in existing hospitals in five regions. The idea of the Health Department is to boost the infrastructure of laboratories at five existing locations in big hospitals to be opened 24/7 and offer patients the most basic and sophisticated services. 

According to the official of Health Department, at present several tests are not available in the Delhi Government hospitals. For this, patients were left with no other options than to go to private diagnostic centers and pay a fortune to get the tests done. "Now, we want to streamline the entire process," said a senior official of the Delhi Government. 

At the later stage, the Government is also planning to carry out diagnostic tests at the other primary care hospitals. However, these will only offer diagnostic tests for emergency patients which will the major step to relieve hospitals off the load, the official said. In the past, several hospitals have reported the unavailability of basic diagnostic tests due to the lack of equipment, lack of kits. In June, resident doctors have gone on strike demanding better infrastructure in hospitals. 

Recently doctors at Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital had reported the non-availability of basic services for diabetes test, the X-ray services at lalIJBahadur Shastri Hospital was not working for months with lack of medicine at G B Pant Hospital Patients.  At G B Pant Hospital and Hedgewar Hospital had also complained lack of basic services after the staff was reportedly on leave.

"New staff will be recruited from existing hospitals and will be trained further to carry out all kinds of tests. For this, fresh tenders will be floated for procurement of equipment. The commissioning of the laboratories will be complete by May next year," said the official. In another related development, the Government is also planning to keep operation theatres functional in the State-run hospitals on all Saturdays. Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital, Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital and SanjayIJGandhi Hospital, among others are the first few hospitals that will keep their OTs functional on Saturdays in the first phase.