The lethargy of the administration of Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, (GMCH-32) has cost the pubic exchequer nearly `3 crore. The hospital administration has failed to auction a shop reserved for medicine sale for the past around eight months.
The shop is reportedly located near the emergency ward, which is considered one of the most important spots in the hospital. And this shop often fetches the maximum rent. In the last auction, the shop fetched a rent of around `45 lakh a month. However, it was surrendered by the firm in January. Since then, it is lying vacant and the hospital administration has not done much effort to auction it again. Even if the shop fetched a rent of `35 lakh a month, that exchequer could have got `3 crore in eight months.
A faculty member from a surgical department, wishing not to be named, said the issue was not just about loss to the exchequer but also about inconvenience. "Now the other shops are located far away from the emergency. In the emergency, cases hinge on split-second decisions," he said.
As compared to the GMCH-32, at the Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, the system of auctioning shops is more efficient. They auction shops in advance and soon after one firm vacates the shop another takes over.
{{/usCountry}}As compared to the GMCH-32, at the Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, the system of auctioning shops is more efficient. They auction shops in advance and soon after one firm vacates the shop another takes over.
{{/usCountry}}Dr Atul Sachdev, director-principal, GMCH-32, told HT that the administration had floated tenders earlier but there was "some problem" with the tenders, so that tendering process couldn't be completed. "Now we are again in the process of auctioning the shop," he said.