In-house committee made after fire incident yet to submit its report
Govind Sharma
JAMMU, Feb 25: The Microbiology laboratory of Shri Maharaja Gulab Singh (SMGS) Hospital, Jammu has been lying closed for last over 10 months and all the samples are being sent for testing to main lab in Government Medical College (GMC), Jammu.
According to the reports, a major fire had broken out in the Microbiology lab of SMGS Hospital in the late evening of April 14 last year. In the fire, two major laboratory equipments, some Air Conditioning units and furniture of the laboratory were gutted.
Official sources told Excelsior that after the fire incident, the administration of the Hospital had lodged FIR in concerned police station and the then Principal, GMC Jammu had also constituted an in-house committee to enquire into the fire incident and assess losses occurred in terms of equipment and apparatus.
They said since the fire incident, the laboratory is lying closed and all the routine and emergency tests are being sent to main laboratory of GMC Jammu for testing due to which patients are not getting their emergency investigation reports timely.
“The GMC administration is sleeping over the issue and no effort was made during last 10 months to open the lab,” they said, adding, as a temporary arrangement, the staff of Microbiology laboratory of SMGS Hospital has been given a corner in Biochemistry laboratory to collect samples of the patients and dispatch the same to GMC Jammu for testing.
Pertinent to mention here that SMGS Hospital is the only Government Hospital in Jammu having neonatal intensive care unit and it caters to ailing infants not only from Jammu district but complete Jammu region. Thus, timely conducting of tests and their reporting matters most but nobody cares here as death of patients in the hospitals is common phenomena for those sitting at the helm of affairs.
Sources further disclosed that the laboratory is unlikely to open in next six months as it needs complete renovation, replacement of window panes, whitewash, furniture, electric fitting and the most importantly laboratory equipments and apparatus.
“It is shocking that the in-house committee constituted after the fire incident has not submitted its report yet while the Civil, Mechanical and other departments have submitted their reports. Besides, Power Development Department (PDD) has also not submitted its report,” they said, adding till the in-house committee and PDD do not submits their reports, the process of opening of the lab could not be started.
When contacted, Principal, GMC Jammu Dr Shashi Sudhan Sharma said there are some procedural delays due to which the laboratory could not be opened but all the tests are being done in GMC Jammu. She also confirmed that reports from some committees including in-house committee are also awaited till date.
“I have already passed directions to all concerned including Medical Superintendent SMGS Hospital to accelerate the process of opening of the Microbiology lab of the Hospital at the earliest,” she added.
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