Indore (Madhya Pradesh) [India], July 2 (ANI): Amid a row over the transfer of doctors and medical staff to a hospital that is yet to be constructed in Indore's Khajrana area, Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO) Dr Madhav Hasani on Thursday said the 100-bed civil hospital was sanctioned a few years ago, but construction could not begin as the administration is yet to get possession of the allotted land.
The controversy erupted after questions were raised over the transfer and posting of medical personnel to a hospital that exists only on paper. The Opposition alleged irregularities in the process and accused the government of running a "hospital on paper."
Speaking on the issue, Dr Hasani said the hospital and its manpower had been sanctioned around three to four years ago, but the project could not take off due to the pending land possession.
"A 100-bed civil hospital was sanctioned for Khajrana along with its manpower. The land has been allotted to us, but we have not yet received possession of it. The matter is three to four years old, and I have been continuously following it up. The Collector is aware of the issue and has directed the concerned officials to expedite all pending land-related matters of the Health Department," Hasani told ANI.
He said the sanctioned staff for the proposed hospital has been deployed at various healthcare facilities in the city to address manpower shortages.
"Regarding the manpower transferred for the Khajrana hospital, I would like to mention that approximately 85 'Sanjeevani Clinics' have been launched in Indore over the past two to two-and-a-half years. The department provided us with Medical Officers, as well as outsourced Data Entry Operators and support staff, for these clinics. Consequently, we have utilized staff who were surplus at the District Hospital (due to ongoing construction work there) as well as the staff specifically sanctioned for the Khajrana hospital. Sanjeevani Clinics are currently operational in nearly 85 wards, and the local population is benefiting from them," the CMHO said.
Each Sanjeevani Clinic is seeing a substantial number of OPD patients and they are regularly obtaining their medications from there. Khajrana currently has two Chief Minister Sanjeevani Clinics and one Urban Primary Health Centre. In view of the local population, the hospital was sanctioned by the government. Efforts will be made to secure possession of the land so that construction of the hospital can begin at the earliest, he added.
Responding to questions over transfers, Hasani said, "It is not right to say, the transfers are being made from the Khajrana hospital. Yes, the staff has been sanctioned in the name of the Khajrana Hospital. The department is aware that there is a manpower shortage at Sanjeevani Clinics, so the staff is being utilised there... All transfers are carried out by the department from Bhopal."
Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister and Health Minister Rajendra Shukla rejected allegations that the hospital existed only on paper, saying work could not begin because land was not available.
"It is not a hospital on paper. The hospital has been approved, posts and funds have been sanctioned, but work could not begin because land was not available. Once construction starts, the hospital will come up. It was approved six years ago, but work couldn't begin due to the unavailability of land. The posts, however, were sanctioned, and since they appear on the department's portal, postings were made but the matter has now been streamlined," Shukla told reporters.
On the other hand, Leader of the Opposition Umang Singhar, however, alleged irregularities in the matter and questioned how doctors and staff could be transferred to a hospital that has not yet been built.
"Another bizarre scam in Madhya Pradesh! A hospital in Indore's Khajrana area has existed only on paper for six years. No building was constructed, not a single brick was laid, yet doctors were being appointed and transferred without any hindrance. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, if the hospital does not even exist, then to which hospital were these transfers being made? For six years, people kept struggling to access healthcare while the government claimed credit for running a hospital that existed only in files," Singhar posted on X.
"The public wants an answer. Is this negligence or corruption? Action must be taken against those responsible, and Khajrana should immediately get a real, functional hospital," he added. (ANI)
