3 months on, Nangal hospital awaits staff

Arun Sharma

Tribune News Service

Nangal, May 23

The 50-bed Lala Lajpat Rai Memorial Civil Hospital here has only one specialist for OPD services and one medical officer for the emergency ward that does not even have basic diagnostic facilities, including an X-ray machine.

The hospital, opened on February 12, is yet to get doctors and other facilities.

The Punjab Health System Corporation has not yet taken over the four-storey hospital building constructed by the local municipal council at a cost of Rs9 crore. Hence, no regular staff was appointed for the hospital.

Three specialists and a dental surgeon posted at the Anandpur Sahib Civil Hospital have been asked to attend OPD services here on alternate days. While a medicine specialist attends OPD services on first three days of the week, the surgeon visits the hospital for next three days. The lone gynaecologist posted at Anandpur Sahib hospital visits Nangal twice a week. A dental surgeon provides only consultation to the patients for three days a week as he has no equipment.

The staff said they could not provide any service to the patients other than consultation in the absence of diagnostic tests and operation theatre. The building does not have any elevator. There is no air conditioner or air cooler. Even windows have no curtains.

Punjab Health and Family Welfare principal secretary Vini Mahajan said they had recently got a proposal from the Nangal municipal council to take over the hospital building. “The proposal has been forwarded to the Finance Department. The staff will be appointed only after a decision on the matter.”