Chandigarh: Mother & child care, neuro centres’ inauguration deferred

No official explanation has been provided for the last-minute deferment, despite the minister’s extended stay in the tricity

Patients will have to wait longer for the Mother and Child Care Centre and Advanced Neuroscience Centre at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) to open as the much-anticipated inauguration did not take place during the institute’s 39th convocation on Thursday. Union health minister JP Nadda, who attended the event, neither inaugurated nor laid foundation stones for any of the facilities earlier announced by the institute.

Until the new centre becomes operational, healthcare providers warn that neonatal emergency care will continue to face strain. (HT File)

No official explanation has been provided for the last-minute deferment, despite the minister’s extended stay in the tricity and his role as the institute’s president. Repeated attempts to contact PGIMER officials, including director Dr Vivek Lal, deputy director (administration) Pankaj Rai, and the public relations department, went unanswered. Faculty members also expressed lack of clarity. The only response received from the official channel was that the inauguration had been deferred.

During a press conference on April 24, PGIMER director Dr Lal had announced that the two facilities will be inaugurated during the convocation ceremony. The same message had been conveyed during several other press briefings – on March 7 during research day celebrations and on April 20 during the launch of outpatient services at the neuroscience centre.

Until the new centre becomes operational, healthcare providers warn that neonatal emergency care will continue to face strain, affecting the quality of treatment for infants.