New infra proposal ‘collects dust’, Civil Hospital upgrades current building

Despite a proposal for shifting Maharaja Agrasen Civil Hospital here being pending with the state government, hospital authorities are undertaking the upgrade and repair of the existing Civil Hospital building. According to information, the ‘special’ repair is being undertaken to maintain and upkeep the existing structure, located on the Sirsa road in the town. The project is expected to cost Rs 10-15 crore.

The project includes an array repair works that aim to improve service quality, aesthetics, and facilities at the Civil Hospital. Hospital officials said the facility would witness a transformation modelled after corporate hospitals in a phased manner. The first phase, costing around Rs 3.80 crore, includes the construction of a main entrance and a link road, and the repair of toilets. Other works include fixing tiles from the hospital’s main entrance up to the staircases, and proper ventilation arrangements within the building. An air cooling system is set to be installed at the facility at a cost of Rs 1.46 crore.

According to sources, a key issue facing the Civil Hospital campus is the problem of waterlogging. In this regard, hospital authorities had asked for a new water disposal system to ensure quick discharge of water, especially in the monsoons, the sources added.

The walls of the hospital are set to be repainted, tiles will be installed in some parts of the facility, and granite tiles to be installed on the stairs. The repair of the operation theatre is also set to be undertaken.

Social activist Dr Ramesh Punia believes that the health authorities and the district administration should work towards the construction of the new Civil Hospital building, at the outskirts of the town, on priority.

The proposal has been gathering dust for a long time.

Dr Punia noted that the existing hospital building was located in a 100-m radius of Hisar Fort, a monument protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). Thus, no construction or alteration was allowed on the current hospital campus.

“The hospital authorities cannot add any more structures, or add more storeys to the existing infrastructure here. Though there is a need to repair the existing campus, the government must also work to expedite the process of constructing the new building,” he said, claiming that the existing hospital infrastructure was unable to accommodate all patients due to a space crunch.

Hospital officials confirmed that the construction of new storeys was not allowed, making it impossible to begin new medical facilities or add more beds to the current hospital building.

Civil Hospital Chief Medical Officer Dr Sapna Gahlawat and the Principal Medical Officer Dr Reena Jain could not be reached for their versions, despite repeated attempts.