Ambitious plan launched to upgrade General Hospital

Itanagar, May 24 (UNI) The Naharlagu General Hospital is getting a facelift and work is on to execute an ambitious plan for upgrading it to cater to the growing needs of the poor and needy patients of the state.

Hospital's chief medical officer Dr Moji Jini yesterday said that his 10-year-old vision to transform the hospital to a well-equipped advanced hospital would soon be translated into a reality.

''The lone referral hospital in Arunachal Pradesh and neighbouring states with a shabby look and dilapidated buildings got a facelift from the funds provided under Central Special Assistance(CSA) for upgrading the hospital and constructing its boundary wall to prevent land encroachment,'' he maintained.

However, the blueprint for the massive infrastructure development had been receiving overwhelming support of Finance Minister Kalikho Pul, authorities of PWD and planning departments, he disclosed.

''The blueprint envisages multi-storied structures in three blocks - existing emergency, administrative and academic block, OPD and Inpatients Department IPD) and residential area,'' he said.

''The fund for ground and first floor of the IPD had been sanctioned, soil test conducted and the construction would begin soon with a target to complete it within nine months and the PWD engineers had been working overnight assisted by architects to facilitate smooth progress,'' he added.

There would be a big parking area to accommodate around 60 to 100 vehicles between two five-storied structures of second and third blocks, while both the buildings would have provisions of lifts, ramps and stair cases besides connecting overbridge or cat walk to link third and fourth floors for easy accessibility.

The present 120-bed hospital was set up in a barrack constructed as labour shed in 1972, he said, adding things had changed and the requirements increased manifolds, but the hospital had hardly seen any major change during the last three decades.

Hence, the present plan would upgrade the hospital to a 250 to 300-bed hospital besides setting up of a nursing school and a cancer wing with cobalt therapy facility.

There was no dearth of funds and the Centre was ever ready to help, provided projects were submitted as per requirements following the established guidelines, he added.

Though Dr Jini appreciated Health and Family Welfare Minister C C Singpho for his guidance for the entire project, Singpho assured that all possible cooperation would be extended by the government, including obtaining funds from the Centre for completing the project soon.

Medical superintendent Dr D Raina, however, sought co-operation of all sections of people as the upgraded hospital would immensely benefit them.

Incidentally, being impressed with the convergence of all systems of medicines for providing holistic healthcare at the hospital, director of National Rural Health Mission(NRHM) S Jaleja, after inspecting the hospital on March 10 last had announced to sanction funds for creating required infrastructure.

She was very appreciative of the provisions of Ayush Homoeopathy, dental surgery, eye, medicines, malaria, TB, AIDS, cancer, emergency and trauma care, tele-medicine services under one roof despite poor and limited infrastructure.

Describing the convergence as unique in the country, she had announced to treat it as a city hospital equivalent to a district hospital for sanctioning fund.

UNI