Pune’s Covid cases cross 63k; eight PMC hospitals remain underutilised

Activists allege that elected members and civic administration have always been busy building flyovers, cement roads, widen roads, take up mega projects and beautification works and neglected basic sectors like health and education.

PUNE: When Pune reported Maharashtra’s first Covid-19 positive case during the second week of March this year, the response of Pune Municipal was usual: refer every case to Naidu hospital known for dealing with infectious diseases.

Activists stage agitation in front of PMC headquarters against the civic body’s handling of the Covid situation in the city, on Tuesday. (RAHUL RAUT/HT)

While the rise in cases turned Naidu into an overflowing hospital, PMC ignored its other infrastructure, built and lying unused for years.

The civic body has not learnt its lesson from previous outbreaks — Sars in 2004 and swine flu in 2009 — to better equip its medical facilities, said health activists, who staged a protest in front of PMC main building on Tuesday.

Activists alleged that elected members and civic administration have always been busy building flyovers, cement roads, widen roads, take up mega projects and beautification works and neglected basic sectors like health and education in Pune.

Municipal commissioner Vikram Kumar said, “We are increasing the bed capacity at Dalvi Hospital, Laigude Hospital and other PMC-owned hospitals.”

“Despite building infrastructure, many of PMC’s hospitals are lying used at a time when the civic body is spending crores on relatively non-important things,” said Abhijit More, co-convener of Jan Swasthya Abhiyan.

The activists point out that while Covid cases in the city have crossed 63,000 as on August 4, as per the state health department data, PMC is yet to fully utilise the facilities at eight of its hospitals — Balasaheb Thackeray hospital (Mitramandal chowk), Rajmata Jijamata hospital (Mitramandal Chowk), Bindumadhav hospital (Karvenagar), Rajiv Gandhi hospital (Yerawada), Karne hospital (Yerawada), Laigude hospital (Sinhgad road), which is now used as Covid care centre, Dalvi Hospital (Shivajinagar) which has become operational) and underutilised Kamla Nehru hospital.

“Instead of spending funds to create jumbo facilities, why does the state and PMC utilise these places as it will remain permanent?” said Kiran Moghe, who along with Sunit SR, Poornima Chikarmane and Medha Thatte, agitated in front of PMC main building.

Former municipal commissioner Kunal Kumar, who is now working with the central government and is also the head of the central team visiting the city, accepted that the city’s health sector is neglected.

Kumar said, “Even during my tenure as municipal commissioner, we neglected the health sector. A country like India does not have enough testing facility, but we are increasing the numbers. While the elected members discuss many topics at the PMC general body meeting, health issues take a back seat.”

PMC and the state government are setting up two jumbo facilities, each at the cost of 70 crore having 800 beds, and a third is also planned.

“The example set by the city to handle the swine flu situation was followed by other cities. As municipal commissioner during that period, we focused on contact tracing and testing and it was expected that the health infrastructure would improve to face such outbreaks in future,” said retired bureaucrat and former commissioner Mahesh Zagade.

Dr Siddharth Dhende, corporator and former mayor, said, “Many civic hospitals are non-functional. With PMC unable to recruit medical staff, many of its hospitals are run by private parties. Our demand to audit these PMC hospitals run on public-private partnership (PPP) basis is yet to be met.”

Divisional commissioner Saurabh Rao, who was former municipal commissioner, said, “Some of the hospitals and clinics are unused. PMC is trying to utilise it and some have been converted into Covid care centres. We have also strengthened the facilities at Sassoon General hospital.”

Medical facility status

Rs210 crore: Fund spent to set up three jumbo hospitals

6 months: Functional period of the temporary jumbo hospitals

18 hospitals: Constructed by PMC and lying unused

Rs70 crore: Fund released by the state government to strengthen facilities at Sassoon General Hospital

The underutilised two hospitals run by the state government — Aundh and Bibvewadi —will be used for Covid care.

PMC-owned health infrastructure

General hospital: Kamla Nehru Hospital

Infectious disease hospital: Naidu Hospital

Maternity hospital: 18

Dispensaries: 41

Underutilised and unused civic hospitals

Balasaheb Thackeray hospital, Mitramandal chowk

Rajmata Jijamata hospital, Mitramandal Chowk

Bindumadhav hospital, Karvenagar

Rajiv Gandhi hospital, Yerawada

Karne hospital, Yerawada

Laigude hospital, Sinhgad road (It is now used as Covid care centre)

Dalvi Hospital, Shivajingar (becoming operational)

Rs50-cr facilities at Kamla Nehru hospital lying unused

Pune Municipal Corporation in the last few years has spent more than Rs50 crore to better the facilities at Kamla Nehru hospital. The civic administration purchased medical equipment and set up an ICU ward, but these facilities are not been used for patients yet.