Development of college hospital demanded

The Pioneer, Sept 4, 2012
BIKASH KHEMKA

Members of the Jaring Medical Banchao Sangharsh Samiti held a road blockade on NH-26 here demanding immediate steps for improving the condition of the Sardar Raja’s Medical College Hospital.

The protesters said though the hospital has not been able to provide treatment to the locals because of lack of infrastructure and doctors. They demanded appointment of sufficient number of doctors.

The members submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister demanding all round development of the hospital.

The foundation stone of the hospital was laid by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on February 8, 2004 at Jaring, named as Naveen Town. The project had got clearance from the State Government in 2004 after an MoU was signed with a private educational institute Salvam Educational and Charitable Trust, Tamil Nadu to complete it in five year.

The terms of the agreement have already elapsed and the medical college also failed to get a nod from the Medical Council of India (MCI) many times during last eight years, mostly due to lack of adequate number of doctors, staff and some basic infrastructure.

Initially, the Revenue Department had provided 25 acres of land at Jaring between Bhawanipatna and Junagarh. The Western Odisha Development Council (WODC) had released `10 crore for infrastructure development. Soon the work began on the 370-beded hospital. The hospital’s 100-bed facility was first inaugurated on December 9, 2006 and again its 200-bed facility was inaugurated on March 18, 2007. Later, 70 beds were added.

The Salvan Educational and Charitable Trust has already spent around `25-30 crore for the hospital. The hospital is now being handled by three doctors only, with a medicine specialist, paediatrician and one dentist.

Though the nearby villagers come to the hospital, but lack of sufficient doctors has caused a major difficulty in providing them due treatment, alleged Samiti president Sunil Kumar. He also threatened to continue the stir if demands were not fulfilled immediately by the Government.

The hospital has facilities of one ICU, two X-ray wards, ECG, ultra sound, three OTs, but due to insufficient doctors, the machines are hardly used. This matter was raised in the Assembly earlier by Junagarh MLA Gobardhan Das and Opposition leader Bhupinder Singh but in vain.