17 months on, Nurpur maternity hospital remains non-functional

Rajiv Mahajan

Nurpur, March 12

The 50-bed Mother & Child Hospital (MCH) in front of the Civil Hospital here, which was inaugurated 17 months ago is yet to become functional, defeating the very purpose for which it was established.

The failure of the Health and Family Welfare Department in making the MCH operational after the formation of the new government in the state is causing resentment among locals.

The MCH building constructed at a cost of Rs 13 crore had been locked since its formal inauguration.

The then Union Health Minister JP Nadda had laid the foundation stone for the MCH on September 2017 through video conferencing, a few months before the Assembly elections. However, the then Virbhadra Singh government could not provide land for the hospital as the model code of conduct was enforced days after the stone-laying ceremony.

With the change of government in December 2017, the then MLA Rakesh Pathania took a keen interest in the project. The land was identified in front of the Civil Hospital and the construction was started through BSNL’s construction wing.

The triple-storey MCH building was formally inaugurated by the then Forest Minister Rakesh Pathania on October 8, 2022 before the last Assembly elections.

Before the inauguration, 50 beds were arranged in the MCH and the provision for the treatment of pregnant women and newborns was made. However, no new staff appointment was made to run the health institution by the previous Jai Ram Thakur government. The regime change again halted the completion of the left out civil works. It neither has electricity and water connections nor staff to make the institution functional. As per information, before the inauguration of the MCH the state Health Department, under the National Health Mission, had procured equipment from medical equipment manufacturing company HLL Lifecare Ltd, Chennai. However, the company shifted the equipment to Una’s Mother Child Hospital in June last.

The populace of Nurpur, Indora, Jawali, Fatehpur and Bhattiyat were to benefit under the Centrally sponsored Janani Suraksha Yojana for safe motherhood and newborn health care had the MCH been made functional. But now they have either to rush Tanda Medical College, Kangra, or private hospitals at Pathankot in Punjab in emergency.

Kangra Chief Medical Officer Dr Sushil Sharma said an estimate of additional funds to the tune of Rs 4.77 crore had been received from the BSNL, the construction executing agency, the same had been submitted to the government for approval. He said the MCH had been built under the National Health Scheme budget allocated by the Central government

Former minister Rakesh Pathania said it was unfortunate that the Rs 13-crore building was lying idle and the state government had failed to make it functional.

MLA Ranbir Singh Nikka lamented that he had raised the issue in the Assembly during the past over year, but no initiative was taken by the government to make the hospital functional.

Join Whatsapp Channel of The Tribune for latest updates.

#Nurpur