Mangalore: A Year On, No Sign of New Lady Goschen Building
Prakash Samaga
Pics: Brijesh Garodi
Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore
Mangalore, Apr 30: When the news of renovation of Lady Goschen hospital made headlines in the media after an Andhra Pradesh-based entrepreneur K Raghava Naidu offered to donate Rs 18 crore for the purpose, sprits soared high and everybody started looking forward to the new building. The 162-year-old hospital was said to come up with a full-fledged 2+5 storey building in the city soon.
But it's been a more than a year now, and not even the foundation pillars have been laid for the proposed building. The old building was demolished in the hope of a new one, and now it is the public who are at the receiving end.
Raghava emerged into the scene after he came in contact with legislative assembly deputy speaker MLA N Yogish Bhat, who expressed his desire to develop Lady Goschen hospital in fond memory of his daughter Keerthi. It was planned to tackle paucity of space and staff shortage, by placing 500 beds in the new building instead of its present capacity of 260 beds. However, with no new building in sight, patients and their relatives are now facing severe problems.
Vidya Dinkar of Citizen's Forum for Mangalore Development says that the century-plus old hospital had been a boon for the poor and the middle class women for their maternity needs. "However, after the demolition of the old hospital, the new hospital building does not seem to be coming up as even after one year, the foundation work has not been taken up," she said, demanding an answer from Yogish Bhat.
Foundation stone laying for the new building on April 16, 2011
"There have been instances wherein two women in full term (nine months pregnancy) were made to sleep on one single bed, and the worst part is, in the labour theatre two deliveries had to be made on one table due to lack of space owing to the demolition of the old building, and without alternate arrangements being made," she added.
Shakuntala, superintendent, Lady Goschen hospital said that when Raghava had come to Mangalore in last December, he had made arrangements to procure iron and steel required for the building. Thus there is no room for any speculation that he has changed his mind and cancelled the donation, she said.
When Daijiworld contacted Yogish Bhat, he admitted that there has been an inordinate delay, but blamed it on government for delaying the demolition of the old building.
"As per the Transparency Act, some procedures had to be followed while initiating the demolition work of the old building. Entrepreneur Raghava Naidu never stepped back from his promise, rather, he has come four times to Mangalore to oversee the follow-up actions," he asserted.
Bhat ruled out any favour on the part of the government to Naidu for his help to renovate the hospital. "I am confident that within two months, the work on the building will start. But if rain disrupts the work, it may be deferred for some more time, but will surely be finished soon without causing more inconvenience," he said.
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