Pune: AAP demands ten civic hospitals to be made operational along with new jumbo hospitals

Pune: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) along with other organisations staged protests at the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) on Tuesday demanding that 10 civic hospitals should be made operational immediately along with the creation of new jumbo hospitals.

Dr Abhijit More, AAP leader and coordinator of ‘Corona Virodhi Jan Abhiyan’ said, “COVID-19 patients in the city are facing severe problems due to the acute shortage of hospital beds, oxygen and ventilator facilities. It is utmost important to pay immediate attention to the existing facilities and ensure that the Intensive Care Unit of the Kamala Nehru Hospital as well as around 8 to 10 municipals hospitals, which are ready, constructed but not fully operational, are made functional with sufficient beds with oxygen supply facilities. We demand that trained staff and doctors be appointed there immediately. The funds should be utilised on priority for this purpose.”

“The strong political will to appoint doctors and nurses at the Jumbo Isolation Hospital, if extended to start the municipal hospitals with sufficient medical staff including doctors and nurses, would result in establishing permanent, functional health care facilities for the citizens of Pune,” More said.

“As the Municipal health services are inadequate and non-functional, people had no other way but to turn to the private sector where they are being fleeced by the Corporate Hospitals. The COVID-19 pandemic has made it all the more evident that the PMC must provide functional and efficient health care to its citizens. All available resources must be used judiciously. Kamala Nehru Hospital, the largest PMC hospital with 450 beds is ready, equipped with facilities such as Oxygen supply and Ventilators but the Medical ICU is not functional for many years. The Corona Virodhi Jan Abhiyan will soon approach the honourable Guardian Minister to pursue their demands,” he added.

MUNICIPAL HOSPITALS WHICH ARE READY BUT NON-FUNCTIONAL

• Late Bindumadhav Balasaheb Thakare Hospital, Karvenagar

• Balasaheb Thakare Hospital, Mitra Mandal Chowk, Swargate

• Rajmata Jijamata Hospital

• Dr Kotnis Hospital, Old Building

• Karne Hospital

• Three upper floors of spacious and multi-storey Rajiv Gandhi Hospital at Yerwada are vacant and unused