Sambalpur: The state government’s decision to establish a Covid hospital on the premises of Sparsh City Hospital in the town has sparked anger and resentment among the local residents.
The decision to establish a Covid hospital at the Sparsh City Hospital was announced by the state Health Minister Naba Kishore Das at a press meet, Monday.
Das said that the new Covid hospital will be unveiled in the second or third week of June. The decision has drawn flak from various quarters and a delegation of the residents met the Collector Subham Saxena and submitted a memorandum to him.
Eminent citizens Shayam Sundar Agarwal, Rudra Moharana, Pramod Kumar Padhi, Md. Sakir, Md. Theru, Anil Agarwal, Surya Pattajoshi, Saroj Singh and Sk. Kalim are signatories in this memorandum.
The members of the delegation argued that the Spasrh City Hospital, which is situated at a main thoroughfare of the town, lacks adequate parking space and proper sewerage facilities.
Besides, a flyover bridge, which is being constructed nearby, is likely to pose problems in frequent movement of ambulance to and from the hospital.
Various private banks, ATM kiosks and private telecom offices function from the building which also houses the hospital. These establishments regularly witnesses footfalls of thousands of people who may be at risk if the Covid hospital is set up in the same building.
Moreover, the building does not have proper fire-fighting facilities nor it abides by the guidelines of the Fire department. Therefore, it will be quite wrong to establish the hospital in this building.
The members of the delegation demanded that the hospital be established in any hospital situated on the town outskirts.
Notably, the VSS Institute of Medical Sciences and Research has two Covid hospitals on its premises, while another Covid hospital is functioning from the district headquarters hospital in the town.
In view of the increasing Covid infections, the state government has planned to set up an additional 110 bed Covid hospital in the district. The new Covid hospital will be jointly operated by the state government and Vikash group.
PNN
