Covid-19 impact: CM wants all pending health projects to be completed by next year

PUNE As the world returns to pre-pandemic levels, Covid-19 has definitely taught a lesson in public healthcare infrastructure

PUNE As the world returns to pre-pandemic levels, Covid-19 has definitely taught a lesson in public healthcare infrastructure. The Maharashtra chief minister on Saturday during a meeting with all health circles in the state instructed the public works department (PWD) and health department to ensure that all long pending projects which have been delayed due to multiple reasons and are currently at various stages have to be resumed and completed by next year. Sixteen such hospitals and trauma care centres are in the pipeline in Pune district which will be available to the public by next year.

The Maharashtra chief minister on Saturday during a meeting with all health circles in the state instructed the public works department (PWD) and health department to ensure that all long pending projects which have been delayed and are currently at various stages have to be resumed and completed by next year. (HT FILE PHOTO)

Dr Sanjay Deshmukh, assistant director, health services Pune region, said, “The chief minister in a meeting on Saturday has instructed the PWD to ensure that all construction-related work for health projects needs to be completed within a year’s time. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, everyone has understood the importance of public health and so now, the government wants to focus on upgrading the existing health infrastructure and building new hospitals and trauma centres as per government guidelines. In Pune, we will have 16 new hospitals by next year, including four newly sanctioned ones which still require land allocation.”

Some of these 16 projects were approved in 2011 but remained pending due to land allocation or insufficient funds. The 16 include two rural hospitals in Taleghar and Malthan, two trauma centres in Wadgaon Maval and Jejuri, a sub-district hospital in Lonavala and Lohegaon, and four newly sanctioned rural hospitals at Uruli Kanchan, Dehu, Khadakwasla and Shirur that are awaiting land approval. Also, six new primary health centres have been planned in various talukas.

While rural healthcare primarily focuses on primary and secondary healthcare, it is important to start the right treatment at the right time to ensure that no tertiary treatment is required. Government guidelines suggest that there should be a trauma care centre after every 60km, the two new trauma care centres that are coming up at Wadgaon Maval and Jejuri have an operation theatre and 20 beds each, both of which are attached to rural hospitals to ensure better treatment.