Nagpur dental superspeciality hospital building ready but yet to open, gets three more months

The building of the Dental Superspeciality Hospital and Research Centre, under the Government Dental College and Hospital in Nagpur, is complete on the medical college campus, but the hospital has not yet opened. About 80 per cent of the equipment needed for the five-storey building has arrived. Even so, equipment installation and essential electrical work are pending, delaying the start of the hospital.

The project was already running one and a half years late. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis then took note of the matter and reprimanded officials. A further three months have now been given to start the hospital.

The hospital has been built on 4,770.12 square metres opposite the office of the Dean of the medical college. The foundation stone was laid on January 4, 2019 by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari.

A total of 91 posts have been sanctioned for the hospital, of which 60 have been filled. To provide modern treatment, administrative approval has been given for equipment purchases worth about Rs 3.89 crore through the District Planning Committee (DPC). A further fund of about Rs 3.43 crore has been sanctioned under the state plan. Most of the equipment has been received from this fund, and the remaining 20 per cent or so is also due soon.

Electrical work is also pending. Installation of the equipment is not complete, so electrical fittings in the rooms concerned are also yet to be done. These modern instruments cannot be commissioned without the required power connections.

The Director of Medical Education is expected to visit the hospital soon to inspect the project. The director had visited the medical college earlier too, but it is said that the dental superspeciality project did not get the attention it needed. Questions are now being raised over the delay, from the Dean's office up to the higher administrative levels.

Projects usually stall for want of money. Here the money is available, yet the administration did not show pace, and that is why the work was delayed. It is said that the then Dean, Dr Abhay Datarkar, had played an active role in the project. After his transfer, the acting Dean is handling the responsibility. No meeting was held on the project for a long time, which also held up the work. It is also said that a meeting with the Public Works Department was held after queries from the Chief Minister's Office.

The delay may have effects down the line. Equipment prices are likely to rise, and patients waiting for superspeciality treatment will have to wait longer. Once the hospital opened, three additional postgraduate seats were expected in each of various departments, but that process has also stalled with the project. After the new hospital opens, postgraduate seats are expected to nearly double from the present number to 44. There are currently 21 students in the first year.