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Dr Homi Bhabha Hospital to reopen after more than 4 years
Siddharth Shirole, MLA from Shivajinagar, on Tuesday met PMC health officials and additional municipal commissioner Ravindra Binwade regarding reopening of the hospital
In a huge relief for citizens living in and around Shivajinagar, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) will reopen the Dr Homi Bhabha Hospital in a couple of months. The civic body had closed the hospital for renovation work for more than four years, officials said.
Siddharth Shirole, MLA from Shivajinagar, on Tuesday met PMC health officials and additional municipal commissioner Ravindra Binwade regarding reopening of the hospital. During the discussion, it was learned that the hospital was waiting to be reopened only because the civic body could not find a suitable size of lift in the market to fit the narrower-than-expected lift duct of the four-storeyed new structure.
According to Shirole, the PMC knew even before the model code of conduct came into being ahead of the Lok Sabha (LS) elections that the lift duct was too narrow for a standard lift to fit. Even after the model code of conduct was lifted however, no efforts were made to resolve the problem, he said.
“The PMC has decided to place an order for a tailormade lift and the recommendations from the experts of the public works department (PWD) will be taken for the stability of the structure and lift. “This lift can be received and installed in a month. The PMC wanted to start the outpatient department (OPD) and delayed the opening of the entire hospital due to unavailability of the lift. However, I have requested the civic body to finish the work and reopen the entire hospital for the citizens,” said Shirole.
Dr Kalpana Baliwant, health officer of the PMC, said that the hospital was under development and the facility was closed to the public. “We will first start the OPD at the earliest. Once the work of the electric and other departments is completed, maternity facilities will be started by us,” she said.
The PMC began renovation of the Dr Homi Bhabha Hospital four years ago. Those staying in and around Shivajinagar have been inconvenienced ever since the hospital was closed. The civic body has now developed a four-storeyed building with an OPD, indoor facility and operation theatre for maternity care. However, the reopening of the hospital is stuck owing to the unavailability of a lift.
