Nagpur dental superspeciality hospital ready but not open; Fadnavis sets 3-month deadline

The building for the Dental Superspeciality Hospital and Research Centre, under the Government Dental College and Hospital on the Nagpur medical college campus, is complete. The five-storey building stands on 4,770.12 square metres opposite the medical dean's office. Some 80 per cent of the equipment to be installed in it has also arrived. Even so, the hospital has not yet started functioning.

The project is already a year and a half behind schedule. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has now had to intervene, and a fresh three-month deadline has been set for completing the work. The foundation stone of the building was laid on January 4, 2019, by Chief Minister Fadnavis and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari.

Of a total of 91 posts for the new hospital, 60 have been filled. Administrative approval was given for equipment purchases of about Rs 3.89 crore under the DPC to provide advanced medical facilities. In addition, about Rs 3.43 crore has been sanctioned under the state plan.

Equipment has arrived with this funding, and the remaining 20 per cent will be received in a few days. But the equipment has not been installed so far. Because it has not been installed, the related electrical fitting work in the rooms is also pending, and the equipment cannot be run without electrical fitting.

After Chief Minister Fadnavis reprimanded officials, the Director of Medical Education has also been spurred into action. He is reported to be due to visit soon and take stock of the situation. However, the director had visited the medical college earlier too, but did not pay attention to the dental superspeciality project then either. In other words, the negligence extends from the dean to the level of the director.

The delay is being felt in two ways. Equipment costs have risen because of the delay in the project. Patients who were to receive superspeciality treatment will have to wait a few more days. The opening of the hospital was to add three postgraduate seats in each department, but that too can now happen only after a year. With the new hospital, postgraduate seats are expected to double to 44, from 21 (first year) at present.

Projects are usually delayed for want of funds, but the opposite has happened here. Both funds and equipment were received, yet the hospital has not opened because the dean's office did not show seriousness.

The then dean, Dr Abhay Datarkar, is said to have worked with full commitment. After his transfer, an officiating dean has been handling the responsibility. The officiating dean showed no interest in the project from the start. About two months later, the dean held a meeting with the Public Works Department, and that meeting too was held only because a reply had to be given to the Chief Minister.