New Delhi: Municipal hospitals, dispensaries and maternity centres will be refurbished as part of a plan to revamp MCD-run medical facilities, Delhi Mayor Shelly Oberoi said on Monday (September 18). Addressing a press conference at the Civic Centre here, Ms Oberoi said that for improving civic medical infrastructure, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) will use funds from the corpus of Rs 117 crore — Rs 54 crore under the capital head and Rs 63 crore under the revenue head– it has received from the Delhi government.
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The MCD, in a statement, issued later on Monday said the Delhi government has given the civic body funds worth Rs 117 crore to improve the health services under it.
The work related to improving the health infrastructure will be completed by March 2024 with the funds received from the Delhi government, the statement added.
Funds received under the capital head will be used in 491 projects, including the infrastructure revamp of seven big hospitals under the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), a civic-run medical college and primary healthcare centres, Ms Oberoi said during the press meet.
Ms Oberoi announced that a new maternity center in the Madipur area is being set up, with plans for it to be operational by November 2023.
The mayor said that under the AAP-led Municipal Corporation of Delhi, a “good healthcare model” will be established in the civic body, as has been in the Delhi government under the leadership of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
Without naming anyone, she alleged that previous parties ruling the municipal corporation in the last 15 years, “did not do anything” to improve the medical infrastructure of civic hospitals as their “intention was not right” when they were in power.
The funds received under the capital head will be used for revamping Hindu Rao Hospital and the medical college it is attached to, Swami Dayanand Hospital and Rajan Babu Institute of Pulmonary Medicine and Tuberculosis, among other facilities, she said.
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From the funds received under the revenue head, 1,269 projects will be undertaken, and medical facilities will be augmented at various hospitals like Mata Gujri Hospital and Kasturba Hospital, the largest maternity care hospital under the MCD, the mayor said.
The medical facilities under the MCD will be improved in a span of couple of years so that people get the best of the facilities at civic-run hospitals and dispensaries, she added.
Asked about the dengue cases reported in Delhi, she said a meeting has been called with the public health department of the MCD later on Monday. The Kejriwal government is “continuously providing funds to make the city’s cleanliness, education and health services world-class,” the statement said.
The Hindu Rao Hospital, the largest MCD-run hospital here, is set to undergo repair work and improvements. This will include essential repairs of various blocks, maintenance work, water line repairs, electrical work, and the AC plant, Ms Oberoi said.
Similar repair and maintenance work is on the agenda for Swami Dayanand Hospital, particularly addressing building repairs and upgrades to the ICU and emergency wards.
Mayor Oberoi said the allocated funds will be also be utilised for constructing an administration block within the hospital premises of the Rajan Babu TB hospital, the city’s largest TB hospital serving patients from across Delhi and beyond, and improving its restroom facilities.
Additionally, primary healthcare centers at Qutubhgarh, Lal Kuan, Sadar Bazaar, and Jwalapuri are scheduled to undergo building repairs, civil work, and electrical upgrade, she added.
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Notably, 80 per cent of the funds allocated under the revenue head have already been designated for various projects, with a focus on completion by March 2024, the statement said.
Sharing details of the fund allocation of the amount received under revenue head, the Mayor said an anesthesia work station will come up at Hindu Rao Hospital, with ventilators for the cardiology department, and a new laser system in the skin department for plastic surgery in burns cases.
Other essential acquisitions include surgical and OT instruments for Mata Gujri Hospital and an operation microscope facility, it said.
The Kasturba Hospital will get an ultrasound machine, O2 monitor for the pediatric department, an automatic OT table, and remote-operated beds. Additionally, an ambulance will be provided to enhance emergency services in the hospital.
The focus remains on ensuring that every resident, regardless of their economic status, has access to high-quality healthcare services and facilities, she added.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the Banega Swachh India initiative, which is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – the LGBTQ population, indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fight malnutrition, mental wellbeing, self care, science and health, adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, which is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF)status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.
