Maternity Hospital or Govt Hospital Gandhi Nagar
VIVEK SHARMA
JAMMU: As many hospitals across the Jammu region are grappling with the staff crunch, the Gandhi Nagar Hospital in the winter capital has double supervisory staff, as the government is yet to decide whether it is Maternity Hospital or a General Hospital. Result; healthcare remains at stake and ailing people at the receiving end.
The Gandhi Nagar Hospital has duplication of manpower, two medical superintendents, separate nursing, Class IV, security, sanitation staff with no coordination between them, resulting in lack of responsibility and under-utilized services.
The state-of-the-art complex, set up for specialized treatment, has been waiting for the government decision to make the full hospital operational either under the Medical Education Department or the Health Department.
At present, the hospital in Gandhi Nagar includes 200 Bedded Maternity Wing, duly approved and functional. This wing was, however, superintended by the Health Department initially but later came under the control of the Medical Education Department in the wake of COVID outbreak in April 2020. This created a peculiar situation with two wings in the same complex under the superintendence of both–Government Hospital Gandhi Nagar under the supervision of Deptt of Health Services and Maternity Hospital Gandhi Nagar under the Associated Hospitals GMC Jammu, superintended by the Medical Education Department. Maternity Hospital Gandhi Nagar GMC Jammu (Medical Education) has 200 bed four Operation Theatres and Labour Rooms, 14 bedded Emergency, Maternal ICU, NICU and PICU); new building (two basement, ground plus 4 floors), no OPD, diagnostics lacking (No CT scan, ultrasound, laboratories, only portable X Rays available), no Blood Bank; no Ambulances; space shortage for all services. Maternity Hospital Gandhi Nagar cannot run as independent comprehensive Hospital until and unless all the services are not provided in same complex..
Government Hospital Gandhi Nagar (Health) has 160 beds but not all functional, Old Building with dilapidated blocks, which need to be dismantled; connectivity problem, no scope of expansion; separate OPD complex (OPD Rooms, CT Scan, Laboratory, Digital X Rays Ultrasound etc); separate Eye Complex; there is least connectivity within the existing blocks; Insufficient circulation of public / traffic; useless thoroughfare of public from emergency to inside the hospital to cross over the roads; insufficient and improper parking; insufficient green space etc. The staff posted there is less and the hospital manpower is underutilized. A report submitted by experts had suggested to the government that by revising architectural plans, it can be converted into a future 500 to 1000 bedded Gandhi Nagar Hospital, in a phased manner.
The report had also proposed the old hospital buildings to be dismantled in phased manner, except for the OPD Complex, to built single horizontal multi- storied building with 2 basements for parking in extension to present 200 bedded Maternity Hospital Gandhi Nagar GMC Jammu.
The report further suggested that to run the present hospital till expansion in phases goes on, utilization of present OPD Complex can be ensured by mild renovations of the present complex, use of multi storied 200 beds of Maternity Hospital; present manpower –doctors, nurses and other staff–can be pooled and utilized.
With expansion, the problems of old and dilapidated buildings, insufficient circulation of public and traffic; useless thoroughfare of public from inside the hospital; insufficient and improper parking could be resolved.
The expert report also recommended, “Connectivity within the new single horizontal multi Storied blocks will be well established with the help of lifts, ramps and direct connectivity of all floors; there will be a large-scale increase in green space in front of the horizontal hospital building.”