Nagpur: Local support has helped change the face of veterinary hospitals of zilla parishad in Nagpur district since last year. Total 39 out of 96 vet hospitals were given ISO certificates last month.Dr Anjali Gandhe, who runs a dispensary in Nandagomukh, Saoner, recalls how the hospital used to be little more than just a building. “The road leading to the dispensary was sandy, the building needed painting, the registers needed maintenance and medicines required systematic sorting out,” she said.In April last year, she gave a presentation to sarpanches of eight villages and other farmers on how the dispensary needed help in order to qualify for the certificate. The gram panchayat then pledged Rs7000, while a dairy owner donated 40 sacks of cement to build the road. Others too donated stones and water tankers while some villagers performed labour jobs. Within a month, the hospital underwent a makeover and was one of the early dispensaries to do so.The veterinary hospital in Dhamna was the first veterinary hospital in the state to get ISO certificate, and has been maintaining it for past three consecutive years, shares zilla parishad animal husbandry officer Dr Umesh Hirudkar. He encouraged other doctors to take inspiration from the Dhamna dispensary and change the face of their hospitals. The vet hospitals in Saoner, Kalmeshwar, Hingna, Kamptee, Katol, Kuhi, Mauda, Narkhed, Parseoni, Umred, Bhiwapur and Ramtek rose to the challenge.Of the 39 dispensaries, 27 belong to grade 1 type, which offer operation facilities. Total 12 vet hospitals belong to grade 2, which offer limited support such as first aid, vaccination and artificial insemination.The dispensary in Hingna looks after 17 villages. Dr Ashwini Gadmade undertook welfare initiatives at the premises apart from auctioning old things, sorting registers and getting the dispensary cleaned.“We have sowed 20 varieties of perennial grass outside the hospital where we conduct fodder demonstration and water conservation. A trench has been dug for biodegradable waste, whereas non-degradable waste is collected in separate bins. A display board on various schemes gives detailed information to visitors,” she said.It took about eight months to complete the project, whereby a committee of locals and hospital staff looked after the developments. Locals helped by providing required material as well as by way of cash.

Stay updated with all the Latest Nagpur headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.