Noisy AC keeps KEM’s new Rs 6cr casualty ward offline, delays its launch
Once inaugurated, the EMS ward would be the city’s largest such, but a visiting team of doctors found AC ducts to be leaking, the noise it emitted to be unbearably high.
The civic-run KEM Hospital’s much-delayed inauguration of its new Emergency Medical Services (EMS) ward – the city’s largest such facility among both private and government-run hospitals – just got delayed further, thanks to the loud noise being emitted by the central air conditioning system.
During a recent visit to survey the facility before it is thrown open to the public, doctors heading the surgery, orthopedic, medicine, radiology and pathology departments found the constant high-decibel sound to be “painful”.
Renovation delayed
The EMS area’s renovation was started in September 2012 and was supposed to be completed in September 2013.
However, this was delayed by nearly a year due to several issues. Close to Rs 6 crore has been spent for the renovation to equip the ward with 60 beds, four emergency operation theatres, three ICUs, 24x7 lab, CT scan and X-ray facilities.
This month, the architect and the building construction department had given informed the hospital administration that the new casualty area was ready for inauguration.
“Water was leaking from the air conditioning system into the operation theatre and ICU areas. Not only this, the AC system was so noisy. We can’t admit patients in such noisy conditions. The noise level was painful during the one hour that we spent there,” a doctor who visited told Mumbai Mirror.
Dean’s assurance
Dr Shubhnagi Parkar, dean, KEM hospital, said, “Yes, I have received complaints from doctors about the noise and leakage from the AC system, and I have already instructed the engineers regarding this. They assured us that the problem will be resolved soon. We can’t think of opening the new EMS in such conditions. Things will surely be in place by next month.”
The civic-run KEM Hospital’s much-delayed inauguration of its new Emergency Medical Services (EMS) ward – the city’s largest such facility among both private and government-run hospitals – just got delayed further, thanks to the loud noise being emitted by the central air conditioning system.
During a recent visit to survey the facility before it is thrown open to the public, doctors heading the surgery, orthopedic, medicine, radiology and pathology departments found the constant high-decibel sound to be “painful”.
The doctors said there was no way they could perform operations and complex procedures in the ward till the noise problem is fixed, and requested the hospital administration to fix this problem first before inaugurating the facility.
Renovation delayed
The EMS area’s renovation was started in September 2012 and was supposed to be completed in September 2013.
However, this was delayed by nearly a year due to several issues. Close to Rs 6 crore has been spent for the renovation to equip the ward with 60 beds, four emergency operation theatres, three ICUs, 24x7 lab, CT scan and X-ray facilities.
This month, the architect and the building construction department had given informed the hospital administration that the new casualty area was ready for inauguration.
“Water was leaking from the air conditioning system into the operation theatre and ICU areas. Not only this, the AC system was so noisy. We can’t admit patients in such noisy conditions. The noise level was painful during the one hour that we spent there,” a doctor who visited told Mumbai Mirror.
Dean’s assurance
Dr Shubhnagi Parkar, dean, KEM hospital, said, “Yes, I have received complaints from doctors about the noise and leakage from the AC system, and I have already instructed the engineers regarding this. They assured us that the problem will be resolved soon. We can’t think of opening the new EMS in such conditions. Things will surely be in place by next month.”
