IIT team says Civil Hospital fit for repair

Gurgaon: A team of engineers from IIT Roorkee on Friday inspected Civil Hospital, which was in the spotlight last week after a part of the maternity ward ceiling collapsed and injured a nursing mother and a newborn. The team concluded the building can be repaired, dismissing claims by PWD that the building is in no condition to be renovated.
Over the last three years, there have been six cases of ceiling collapse in the hospital, including one in April this year.The hospital's maternity ward ceiling had collapsed thrice last year. After the accident on June 25, the CM's office and the office of the health secretary instructed health authorities and district administration of Gurgaon to take immediate action.
The district administration announced an exclusive maternity hospital in the city within 180 days, but also invited the team of structural engineers from IIT Roorkee to conduct an inspection of existing facility.
"After the intervention of deputy commissioner T L Satyaprakash, a team of structural engineers from IIT Roorkee visited the hospital," said chief medical officer Dr Ramesh Dhankar. "After an initial inspection, the team concluded the building can be repaired," Dhankar added.
Renovation hospital has been pending as in March this year, the PWD refused to renovate the hospital's maternity ward, even though Rs 33 lakh was sanctioned for it. PWD had said it was not possible to renovate the building and suggested an inspection be done by senior structural engineers from IIT.