Crores of rupees being spent on salaries
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, May 13: Notwithstanding expenditure of crores of rupees every year, G B Pant Cantonment Hospital at Satwari has virtually become a refuge for its staff, which has been drawing salary without rendering any assistance to the ailing people. Moreover, the hospital is working like a dispensary in the absence of basic facilities but no serious attention has so far been paid towards this health institution situated on a prime location.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that G B Pant Hospital at Satwari, which was opened in 1989 as 35 bedded health institution, is looking like a first aid center even after the lapse of 23 years. “Right from the start of hospital, the State Government is sending doctors on deputation basis to provide adequate medicare facilities to the ailing people but still the Cantonment Board has failed to run the hospital in proper manner despite the fact that amount to the tune of Rs one crore is being spent on the salary of the staff of the hospital”, sources said.
“The situation prevailing in the hospital can be gauged from the fact that by utilizing special grant-in-aid sanctioned by the Ministry of Defence, some equipment for operation threatre and labour room were purchased but till date the same have not been put to use thereby rendering the entire expenditure unfruitful”, sources said.
“Despite availability of medicines in abundance the same are not being provided to the patients and this is evident from the fact that few months back, the authorities of the G B Pant Hospital destroyed medicines worth over Rs 3 lakh”, sources said, adding “the proceedings of the meeting of Committee of Officers, which was constituted to carry out disposal of expired medicines itself indicate the State of affairs in the hospital”.
The Committee, which accorded approval to disposal of expiry medicines, opined that medicines could not be consumed due to sudden stoppage of indoor services by the Cantt Board, unavailability of Gynaecologist, ENT specialist and paediatrician.
While pointing towards the recommendation of the Committee that SOP should be made for future procurement of medicines and timely verification of stores, sources said, “this reflects that such verification was never conducted in the past and instead of providing medicines to the ailing people the authorities allowed the same to expire”.
Pointing towards number of representations made to the Minister of State for Defence, Pallam Raju including one by the Member of Parliament, Madan Lal Sharma, sources said, “instead of sanctioning grant-in-aid to the hospital or Cantonment Board it would be better to handover the hospital to the State Government authorities for its better functioning”.
It is pertinent to mention here that Cantonment Board Badamibagh Srinagar was also running a similar type of hospital and keeping in view the failure of Badamibagh Cantonment authorities to run the hospital properly, the same was taken over by the State health authorities and presently it is functioning smoothly and catering to the need of the local people.
Follow our WhatsApp channel