MCH works progress at snail’s pace in Mancherial
Mancherial: The deadlines for completing the construction of Mother and Child Hospital (MCH) meant for Mancherial district were extended several times. Still, the works of the facility are being executed at a snail’s pace, causing inconvenience to new mothers of not only this district but neighboring Kumram Bheem Asifabad district as well. In order to […]
Mancherial: The deadlines for completing the construction of Mother and Child Hospital (MCH) meant for Mancherial district were extended several times. Still, the works of the facility are being executed at a snail’s pace, causing inconvenience to new mothers of not only this district but neighboring Kumram Bheem Asifabad district as well.
In order to provide better medical services to new mothers and infants belonging to Mancherial district and reduce the burden on the district headquarters hospital, the government granted the 10-bedded MCH to the district. A six-acre of land was allocated for construction of the facility in College Road of Mancherial district headquarters, with an estimated cost of Rs 17 crore.
Accordingly, the works commenced in 2017, with a deadline of 18 months. The works are not progressing at the desired pace owing to various reasons including the lackadaisical attitude of executing agency and Covid-19 induced lockdown. The deadline was revised and the agency was asked to hand over the facility to the medical and health department at the earliest.
Meanwhile, Health Secretary Syed Ali Mortaza Rizvi set a fresh deadline of July 31 to complete the works. He inspected the building on July 13. Despite the deadline set by the head of the department and repeated instructions from Collector Bharati to expedite the works, it is likely to take around three more months to throw open the facility to the public.
Official apathy in supervising works
It is learnt that the engineers of Telangana State Medical Services and Infrastructure Corporation (TSMSIDC), working from the Adilabad district headquarters, are being negligent in supervising the works. Similarly, the executing agency reportedly, backed by a public representative, is not bothered to meet the deadlines. Telangana State Medical Services and Infrastructure Corporation (TSMSIDC) Adilabad district Superintendent Engineer Devender was unavailable over the phone for comment.
Delay affects institutional deliveries
The inordinate delay, however, in executing the works of the building is not only in leaving an adverse impact on institutional deliveries, but also forcing financially weak pregnant women and new mothers to depend on private nursing homes with the 300-bedded DCH remaining overcrowded by patients. In particular, the maternity ward of this hospital is always brimmed with pregnant women of both Mancherial and Kumram Bheem Asifabad districts.
The State-run hospital is registering around 400 deliveries out of which 50 percent are normal ones per month. The pregnant women who are not accommodated at the DCH and whose medical condition is critical are referred to private hospitals. Around 500 pregnant women were left with no option but to throng the private nursing homes for maternity services from January to September 20, shelling huge amounts.
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