Maharashtra's GMCH Swine flu ward construction ground to a halt,due to lack of funds

Nagpur: Drying up of funds sees the swine flu ward, announced by Health Minister, Deepak Sawant in 2015, at Government Medical College and Hospital, lying in a half done state, since. The partly constructed ward opposite the eye department of the hospital sees no signs of construction activity as the government has stopped all further release of funds, after the initial Rs 1.5 crore said Dean, Dr A Niswade . The government had initially announced a total of 3.9 crore for both the ward and equipment, he added. "In fact, the PWD department stopped construction work after it didn't get the money. We will be continue the swine flu ward in ward number 25, as there is no hope of more money from the state government," says the Dean.

179 deaths due to swine flu occurred in the city hospitals in 2015. The same year 2 hospitals, the GMCH & Indira Gandhi Government Medical College, and NMC hospitals, were visited by the central government team, which suggested that both facilities be given separate isolated wards for swine flu. However, apathy on the part of the government and authorities has not seen any take off in this direction either.

A PCR machine for diagnosing swine flu was to be purchased for the GMCH; however, the purchase hasn’t been accomplished either.

The GMCH presently is running the swine flu ward as the summer ward, created for heat stroke patients. The hospital also requires a paediatric swine flu ward as, paediatric cases too keep coming to the hospitals and are adjusted in the paediatric ward.

It's time that the Chief Minister, Devendra Fadnavis took cognizance of the situation as this year too, at least 35 persons have tested positive with swine flu in the city and 14 have succumbed to it, says Trisharan Sahare of Vidarbha Vaidyakiya Karamchari Sangathana .

"It is high time that the government started a facility separately for swine flu cases as there are enough cases coming every year," says Sahare.

NMC sources told TOI that the basic requirement for starting a swine flu ward is the availability of ventilators. The program when initiated had the Isolation Hospital and Indira Gandhi Rugnalaya in Gandhi Nagar as the chosen venues for the wards. However, ventilators were not procured and no wards set up at the NMC either.