Equipment not installed, no specialist doctors at the hospital Karam Prakash Patiala, July 14 The much-awaited Rs 150 crore multi-speciality centre of Government Rajindra Hospital, Patiala, has, already, missed another deadline of its completion. The centre was scheduled to be opened for public from July 1. But, the centre will be not functional for at least two more months because the medical equipment and machines are yet to be installed. Moreover, most of the departments in the hospital, ironically, are without specialist doctors because the recruitment process of the same is still on. The multi-speciality centre had already missed the September 2018 deadline. However, to oversee the progress, newly-appointed Principal Secretary, Medical Education and Research, DK Tiwari had visited the hospital and Government Medical College, last week. After visiting all the ongoing development projects, DK Tiwari had held a meeting with officials of the Public Welfare Department (PWD, B&R), Public Health, Electric Wing, Punjab Health System Corporation - who were responsible for the work. The meeting was attended by Principal Medical College Dr KK Aggarwal; Medical Superintendent Government Rajindra Hospital Rajan Singla; and Director Research and Medical Education (DRME), Dr Avnish Kumar. Admitting the delay in the projects, DK Tiwari had said the major projects were delayed which was the reason he visited to oversee the project. When asked about another deadline for the super-speciality block, he replied, “I need a week’s time to analyse the roadblocks, and time it requires to clear them. I have just joined the department, it would be premature to give another deadline at this stage.” In the meanwhile, Medical Superintendent Rajan Singla said, “We need doctors, paramedical staff and class IV employees to run the centre. As soon as we get the manpower, the centre would be open for the public.” The centre, has got 14 super specialty departments: cardiology, cardio-therapy, and vascular surgery, neurology, neurosurgery, neonatology, gastroenterology, pediatric surgery, endocrinology, medical and surgical gastroenterology, physical medicine, and rehabilitation, neurology, and nephrology. The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, in January 2013, had proposed to upgrade the hospital under the ‘Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana’ in the 12th Plan period. The then Union Health and Family Welfare Minister, Ghulam Nabi Azad, laid the foundation stone for the super speciality center on February 23, 2014.

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