BHUBANESWAR: The portion of a wall of the trauma care unit of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (
AIIMS), Bhubaneswar has developed cracks, prompting the premier hospital to shift around 18 patients to a different ward on Thursday.
The hospital authorities said the Central Public Works Department, which had undertaken the construction work of the unit, will start repairing the wall from Friday. The structural stability of the affected building will be inspected by a team of experts from IIT Bhubaneswar, they added.
Confirming the development, AIIMS director Gitanjali Batmanabane said, "The crack had developed a week ago, following which I had sought a report from the Central Public Works Department (CPWD). They have submitted their report. They will start the repair work from Friday."
Hospital superintendent
S N Mohanty said, "We cannot keep the patients in the trauma care unit as the repair of the wall will start from Friday. Once its over, we will bring them back to the unit."
Khurda collector Nirmal Chandra Mishra visited the hospital on Thursday and took stock of the situation. "As it is a central government institute, the Centre will look into the matter. The safety of the patients is our priority. It seems the foundation of the wall was weak. Technical experts, however, said the building is safe and the wall can be repaired," he added.
The building was set up in 2013. A new building developing cracks has raised questions about the quality of construction. However, the CPWD officials did not respond to repeated calls from this paper.
AIIMS Bhubaneswar
