Wanowrie civic hospital's operation theatre opens after 20-year delay

PUNE: Two non-scalpel vasectomies were carried out at the civic-run Namdeo Genuji Shivarkar Hospital in Wanowrie on Monday, following a gap of 20 years, during which the operation theatre of the health hub was kept shut owing to the pending works, lack of staffers and the alleged unwillingness of PMC to make the facility operational.

Dr Vaishali Jadhav, assistant health officer, Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), said, "The operation theater at the maternity hospital was shut for the past 20 years due to several reasons, including some long-pending civil works, besides the lack of staffers. During the pandemic, we started the immunization and post-Covid care centre here."

She said two men underwent the non-scalpel vasectomies at the hospital on Monday. "Two procedures on the first day is a huge response as most hospitals do not see as many as procedures even in a year."

Earlier, most of the patients visiting the hospital were either sent to the nearby command hospital or Sonawane hospital or Kamala Nehru hospital. With the starting of the operation theatre, as well as the OPD, the authorities can now start planned C-section deliveries and high-risk pregnancy screenings here. "We can also start collecting samples of TB patients, besides routine immunization. We have also brought on board a gynaecologist, an anaesthesiologist and Asha workers," Dr Jadhav said.

A senior civic official said, "The reason why the operation theatre remained shut is because the staff was unwilling to work. Over 2 lakh people in the Hadapsar-Ramtekdi and Wanowrie-Ramtekdi areas, mostly dominated by lower and middle class, will benefit from it."


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