Mangalore: Old Promise Broken, Will MRPL's Proposal Cure Lady Goschen Woes?
Prakash Samaga
Pics: Ramesh Pandith
Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore
Mangalore, Nov 7: If a new and second round of promise has to be believed, the district may well see a full-fledged building of Lady Gochen hospital with basement and G+4 floors within two years' time.
Even as the earlier promise by an Andhra Pradesh-based Raghava Naidu to donate Rs 18 crore for Lady Goschen's renovation vanished into thin air, yet another has come the hospital's way.
This time, the assurance is not by any far-away person or organization, but by the city’s ‘own’ MRPL, which has proposed to contribute Rs 21.70 crore for the project, Rs 3.70 crore higher than the previous amount.
Daijiworld accessed a letter by MRPL to the superintendent of Government Lady Gochen Hospital, in which the former has stated that funds will be granted for the reconstruction of one wing of the hospital under corporate social responsibility initiative. The letter also mentions that Sushilendra (GM-HR/ER) has been nominated to the building construction committee by the management.
Dr Shakuntala, superintendent of Lady Gochen Hospital said that there will be a committee of 5 members who are engineers and once the work of building is completed, the project cost incurred will be calculated. As per the norms under the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurement Act 1999, the bills will be sent to MRPL and the money will be remitted to a joint account of the deputy commissioner and superintendent of Lady Gochen hospital.
She added that the tender will be floated to contractors within two days and the work will begin.
Discarding allegations that many women patients were not provided proper beds in the hospital, she said that there was no such situation, rather in many instances, women after their delivery were allowed to be in the hospital for more than 9 days in case of caesarean.
Congress demands Lady Gochen Building at the earliest
District Mahila Congress organized a protest in front of the Lady Gochen Hospital here on Wednesday November 7 over the apathy of the government which has delayed the construction of Lady Gochen hospital building.
Mamatha Gatti, president of DK district Mahila Congress said that MLAs and ministers in the state government posed before the media on the day of foundation laying ceremony for the new building. "However, by April 2013 it will be two year, but not even a single brick has been moved," she rued.
"Hefty amount had been granted to Lady Gochen hospital under National Health campaign initiated by the central government. However, due to the demolition of the old building and non-commencement of the work on the new block, women patients admitted in the hospital for labour are facing too many problems. Many of them admitted here are with BPL cards," she said.
She also attacked BJP Mahila Morcha members for their silence on the issue and urged the authorities to take immediate action.
KPCC secretary Ivan D’Souza addressing the protestors and flayed legislative assembly deputy speaker Yogish Bhat’s inaction in fulfilling the promise made by him and demanded his resignation from the post of MLA.
Women Congress leaders Shalet Pinto, Kripa Amar Alva also spoke on the occasion.
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