A ray of hope for Gian Sagar Hospital

Gagan K Teja

Tribune News Service

Patiala, May 27

The Gian Sagar Educational and Charitable Trust is all set to bring Gian Sagar Hospital, Banur, back on track. The Gurugram-based group that has taken over the trust has decided to make the hospital functional in the first phase of its revival plan for the Gian Sagar Medical College and Hospital.

Notably, the Punjab Government had withdrawn all essentiality certificates given to Gian Sagar Medical, Dental, Nursing and Physiotherapy Colleges being run by the Gian Sagar Educational and Charitable Trust after the management failed to pay the salaries of all staff members for months together. Moreover, they could not clear the electricity and other dues following which the power and water supply to the institutes were snapped.

Following this, the state government had shifted around 1,500 students of MBBS, BDS and nursing institutes of Gian Sagar to different colleges across the state after the Medical Council of India gave them a go ahead and it was final nail in the institute’s coffin.

Now, new trustees have invited back Dr AS Sekhon, former Dean of the institute, to help them rebuild the institute.

Dr Sekhon said when the new trustees approached him, his first condition was that the trust should include all new trustees as the previous members had worked only for their personal interests, following which a premium institute died a slow death.

Dr Sekhon informed that the new trustees have signed a deed saying that they will take over all the liabilities of the institute.

“They have already spent Rs 85 lakh on clearing the four-month salaries of nurses, technicians and Class IV employees, and have also invited our previous doctors to join the institute who have shown interest in rejoining. Though it is not possible to clear all their salaries in one installment, we will soon sit and negotiate as starting the hospital at the earliest is our first priority,” added Dr Sekhon.

He further informed that the trust had also paid Rs 1 crore to Punjab State Power Corporation Limited to reconnect the snapped power supply.

Dr Sekhon further informed that the major challenge for the institute as of now was the revival of the machinery and other equipment. Property worth over Rs 60 crore was vandalised and the trust has invited back the companies who had installed the machinery and other equipment in the hospital to see how these could be made functional, he added.

Meanwhile, the trust has also urged the Punjab Government to revoke the withdrawal of all essentiality certificates given to Gian Sagar medical, dental, nursing and physiotherapy colleges being run by the trust.

Revival of machinery, equipment a major challenge

Dr AS Sekhon, former Dean of the institute, informed that the challenge for the institute as of now was the revival of the machinery and other equipment. Property worth over Rs 60 crore was vandalised and the trust has invited back the companies who had installed the machinery and other equipment in the hospital to see how these could be made functional, he added. “The main parts of CT scan, MRI machines and X-Ray machines have been stolen following which machinery worth crores is lying useless. Moreover, the pipeline for supplying gas in the hospital and power supply wires have been taken away. Also, 300 gas cylinders are missing and entire dental equipment has been stolen,” he said. “Shockingly, the dead bodies that were kept for dissection were found lying all over when we reached the hospital, which is highly inhuman. We have videographed everything and will now supply the CD to the police to get the entire thing investigated,” added Dr Sekhon.