Fazilka district hospital shifted to site with inadequate facilities

Praful Chander Nagpal

Fazilka, December 5

Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi will inaugurate the newly constructed bus stand and the new building of the 100-bed Fazilka district hospital on Tuesday.

The construction of both the projects was started during the previous SAD-BJP regime and had been completed after years now.

The 112-year-old Dane Hospital (now a district hospital) is being shifted to a new building adjacent to a carcass-dumping ground. With the Assembly elections round the corner, the government is keen on shifting the hospital despite certain glaring shortcomings in the new building.

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• Contractual staff of the NHM, Mulazam Morcha and Joint Teachers’ Forum announced gherao of the CM on Tuesday
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According to information gathered by The Tribune, the building lacks an overhead water tank, due to which the supply requirement of the 100-bed hospital will be hit. Experts pointed out that motors alone won’t be enough to provide the water supply, resulting in a lot of wastage.

Recently, Sukhchain Singh, Executive Engineer, Punjab Health System Corporation, had said that the tender for the construction of an overhead tank has been floated and it would be built soon. Besides, the sewer system of the hospital had also been connected in an allegedly unauthorised manner without remitting the requisite amount of Rs 65 lakh to the Municipal Council (MC).

An official, however, said only four-inch thick wall had been erected for X-ray and CT scan room against the desired width of 14 to 18 inch to prevent the adverse effects of the radiation on the staff and attendants of the patients. Moreover, no arrangement for a canteen and parking are in place.