PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun
The Dehradun chief medical officer Dr Manoj Kumar Sharma plans to submit a reminder to the director general of Health regarding the maintenance of the Gandhi Shatabdi Eye Hospital. Recently, there have been reports of waterlogging issues in building basements across Dehradun, including at the Gandhi Shatabdi Eye Hospital. In response, the Health secretary issued a show-cause notice to the CMO and the Principal Medical Superintendent (PMS) of the hospital. An investigation committee was established to check the issue.
As a first step, the committee acted to prevent mosquito breeding, particularly considering the risk of dengue mosquito larvae proliferation during this season. The committee conducted fogging, bleaching and insecticide treatments in the hospital basement where water accumulation was identified. Additional methods have also been implemented to temporarily resolve the issues at the hospital. However, the committee has also decided to undertake maintenance of the Gandhi Shatabdi Eye Hospital building, aiming for a permanent solution to the problem.
Regarding the status of the maintenance, Sharma stated that the process involving documentation, tenders and other preparations is currently underway. The Health DG and hospital administration are in regular contact for this purpose. Nonetheless, he emphasised the necessity of sending a reminder, as the waterlogging issue has only been temporarily resolved. If the problem is not addressed permanently, the risk of dengue transmission at the hospital next year will increase.
In light of this, Sharma plans to inspect the hospital building soon, after which he will submit the reminder to the DG Health to expedite the maintenance work, he said.
It will be recalled that the earlier PMS, Dr Manu Jain informed that the building has not received maintenance since 2016, but this will now be addressed. A funding proposal has already been submitted to the DG Health and a response is expected shortly.
