MCD seeks ₹221-crore grant from Delhi govt for health infra upgrade

New Delhi: Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has requested Delhi govt for a grant-in-aid of Rs 221 crore for the current financial year.

The primary goal is to improve and upgrade healthcare services offered by the corporation. A substantial amount of funds will be directed towards enhancing the infrastructure in major hospitals, such as Hindu Rao, Rajan Babu and Swami Dayanand Hospital, among others.

An MCD official said: "We have demanded funds for projects or schemes pertaining to the hospital administration department and that includes both improvement or upgrade of centres as well as procurement of various essential equipment or reagents. The funds will be allocated for engineering and medical facilities."

The planned works include improving and developing roads at Swami Dayanand Hospital, developing sewer lines in various areas of Rajan Babu Hospital, installing new pipelines for drinking water at Mata Gujri Hospital, providing new wiring and fixtures at Hindu Rao Hospital, and implementing a firefighting system at Veer Savarkar Aarogya Sansthan Hospital.

The official added: "We also need funds to carry regular maintenance of buildings. Maintenance of sanitary conditions, plumbing and carpentry work, day-to-day annual maintenance work is required in all building at Hindu Rao. Similarly, improvement of operation theatre, nursing home, generator rooms, electric panel rooms is required there too."

"Construction of a new boundary wall and painting of existing and new boundary walls of Veer Savarkar Aarogya Sanathan (VSAS) Hospital is also planned from this year's budget," an official said.

In 2023-24, MCD received approximately Rs 118 crore, from Delhi government.

Of this amount, approximately Rs 55 crore was approved for strengthening buildings, and the rest (approximately Rs 63.7 crore) was for procuring medical equipment. The civic body undertook a 659 infrastructure works, which are at various stages and targeted to be completed by March 2025, officials said.

Procurement of a dialysis machine, ventilators, monitors, and defibrillators for various departments at Hindu Rao, an ultrasound machine for the radiology department of Swami Dayanand Hospital, and a fetomaternal monitor unit at Kasturba Hospital are among the medical equipment already procured or soon to be procured, said the civic body.

Of the 659 infrastructure works taken up, over 150 projects have been completed.

"Prominent civil works already completed included the revamp of OPD, OT block of Kasturba Hospital, repair of the old children's ward, and augmentation of treated water supply in Kasturba, CCTV surveillance in Hindu Rao, improvement of electrical installation and allied works at OPD," officials said.

TOI sought Delhi govt’s response on the grant request but did not get any.