SSKM upgrade: 8 yrs & counting

KOLKATA: The main block of SSKM hospital is under renovation for almost eight years now, and no one knows when it will be completed. Only one of the three blocks under renovation has been refurbished and upgraded. This, at a time when the hospital is running minus the 400 beds that were scrapped to make way for the renovation. Therenovation of the eastern, central and western blocks of the main SSKM buildingstarted in 2002. Even before PWD could take up the project, a portion of thebuilding collapsed that year, killing a patient. It prompted the healthdepartment to announce that the project would be handed to some otherorganization, but eventually the PWD was tasked with the upgrade. It has draggedon for years with little to show for progress.Now, with chief minister Mamata Banerjee in a shape-up-or-ship-out mood, the blame game has started between the hospital administration and the PWD. SSKM blames PWD for the delay while the latter argues that renovation cannot be carried out unless the hospital frees up more space. All the while, patients suffer. The hospital has to make do with just five ITUs because of the delay."Managingwithout 400 beds is an impossible task. We have to refuse admission regularlywhile beds meant for emergency patients are being allowed to be occupied byindoor patients," said SSKM medical superintendent and vice-principal Dr PrabhasChandra Chakraborty. The hospital has a capacity of about 1,770 beds but isrunning with just 1,335 beds.PWD engineers said that though theproject was proposed in 2002, it was sanctioned much later. And there was alsodelay in getting the funds. Work in the western block actually began in June2005. This wing, complete with a new OT complex, was handed over to the hospitalin 2008. But not much has been done in the eastern and centralblocks."We have completed the first phase. Work has started on theother two blocks but we can't carry on unless the space is available to us forrenovation," said PWD engineer Arun Nath, who looks after civil work in thehospital. PWD officials say that a group D staff quarters on the ground floor isthe main obstacle.The hospital administration too seemed to havewoken up only after Mamata Banerjee shook them up with her surprise visits. Noone had bothered to know the reason for the delay before they were hauled up bythe CM. "I will meet with PWD officials in the next few days andseek an explanation on the delay. We will also discuss how to speed uprenovation. The project needs to be completed as early as possible," saidDr Pradip Kumar Mitra, directorIPGMER.