Land, utilities, paperwork done — Dwarka prepares to get first Delhi govt hosp

New Delhi: Dwarka is soon to get its first state government-run hospital with the construction of Indira Gandhi Highly Specialized Hospital to begin soon, according to a senior official in the Delhi government.

The paperwork for the state-run hospital in Dwarka Sector-9 has been processed and according to an official from the Public Works Department (PWD), the hospital building will be handed over to the Health Department on June 30.

"The new building will be constructed in such a way that it will be earthquake resistant and have special features and detailing for disabled people," the official added. Meanwhile, a senior official from the health department told Millennium Post that a tender has been drawn for all the necessary items needed for the hospital.

Health facilities have sprung up in Dwarka in recent years with the construction of several private hospitals and clinics. However, a lack of government hospitals in the vicinity forces people to travel across the city to AIIMS, Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital and Safdarjung Hospital to take advantage of government health facilities.

"The nearest government hospital, Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital in Hari Nagar which treats a large number of people from the area is not enough to handle the inflow of patients per day. Even though the Janakpuri Highly Specialized Hospital is there, it has not yet started functioning to its full potential. In such a situation, it is quite challenging to take advantage of the government health facilities in this part of the city," the health official said.

After the commencement of the new hospital in Dwarka, residents of Palam, Najafgarh, Uttam Nagar, and Janakpuri will be able to access public healthcare facilities more conveniently.

With a total capacity of 1,725 beds, the Indira Gandhi Highly Specialized Hospital will start operating in a phased manner. In the first phase, the hospital will start with 1,241 beds followed by the remaining 484 beds which will be part of the second phase.

The hospital consists of a Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Orthopedic Department, Department of Medicine, Department of Surgery, Department of Ophthalmology, ENT Department, Department of Skin, Department of Pathology, Department of MicroBiology, Department of Anesthesia, Department of Radiology and a Pediatrics Department.

It will also have facilities for OPD, IPD, Emergency, Lab service, Radiology (X-ray and Ultrasound), Blood Bank, Physiotherapy, ICU and Dialysis, the health department official said, adding that the hospital will be monitored and run by the government but dialysis will be initiated on a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) system.

The official from the PWD department said, "The finalising work is going on in the internal meetings so that construction can begin as soon as possible."

The DDA in 1997 had allotted 15 acres of land to the Health Department for the construction of the hospital and after a wait of 24 years, the hospital construction has begun and will be delivered to Delhiites in 2021, the senior official said.