KUMUD JENAMANI
Jamshedpur, July 19: A portion of the Community Center-cum-Referral hospital building collapsed at Manjhgaon block in West Singhbhum distinct about 140 km away from here late on Tuesday night.
Constructed 36 years ago during the regime of the Congress-led Bihar government, the building collapsed due to poor maintenance coupled with incessant rains.
Fortunately, no one was injured in the building collapse as it happened in the night, but it took a toll on healthcare activities in the Referral Hospital since Wednesday morning.
It may be mentioned here that the building in question was being used primarily as a community centre, but after the referral hospital building had caved in years ago, the Referral Hospital was accommodated in a portion of the building.
Since the building was already in a dilapidated condition due to lack of proper maintenance, the health department authority had shifted the referral hospital to the adjoining MESO building.
The stakeholders of the Manjhgaon block had been urging the district administration to either set up a new hospital building or get it repaired properly. But despite repeated appeals in the past years, neither the local legislator nor the state health department paid heed to them.
Significantly, another portion of the same building is used as a residence of several families of the Referral Hospital staff. Despite that portion of the building is equally ruinous, family members of several hospital staff are compelled to stay in the absence of alternative accommodation.
West Singhbhum Deputy Commissioner, Ananya Mittal confirmed about the building collapse and said he would soon make whatever was necessary to provide relief to the affected people.
“I am away in Delhi but I am getting the matter checked soon so that affected people may get immediate relief,” said Mittal while talking to lagatar24.com.
Meanwhile, West Singhbhum district Civil Surgeon, Sahir Paul claimed that the building in question has been declared as ‘condemned’ since 2019 and no health department-related activity takes place there since then, neither anyone stay in the building.
“The health department has already sanctioned money for setting up a new referral hospital building, the tender process for which is in progress. The building ii question is lying completely abandoned ever since it was condemned four years ago, ” claimed the Civil Surgeon while responding to the queries made by lagatar24.com.
In-charge of Referral Hospital, Sanatan Kumar, however, confirmed that at least four families are staying in the building despite it having been condemned years ago.
“The Referral Hospital is now running in the adjoining MESO building, but at least four families are still staying in the dilapidated building despite it has been declared as ‘condemned, ” said the in-charge while talking to this correspondent.
Dr Sanatan also said that though no medical activity is done in the condemned building, some of the rooms in that building are used as store-rooms for the Referral Hospital due to the paucity of space in the MESO building.
