Major delay in 7 hospital work of Delhi govt, most only half-finished: Data

The construction of most of the seven ICU hospitals with capacity of 6,800 beds that were planned to accommodate COVID patients during the third wave of the infection, has reached around only halfway mark so far, official data showed.

Work on the 458-bed hospital in Kirari, which was originally scheduled to be complete by February 2023, had not started till September 17 this year, showed the data shared by the Delhi government in a COVID review meeting of Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) on Thursday.

A 610-bed facility at Chacha Nehru Bal Chikitsalaya in Geeta Colony and 525-bed one in Sultanpuri were only 50 per cent and 45 per cent complete. Both hospitals are now scheduled to be ready by November 2022.

The Sarita Vihar hospital with 336-bed capacity is expected to be complete by October this year, with only 60 per cent work done till September 17, as per the data.

The 1,912-bed facility at GTB Hospital and another 1,430-bed one in Shalimar Bagh were completed by 45 per cent and 50 per cent till September 17.

Both are scheduled to be ready by end of this year.

Only 30 per cent work was done in the 1,577-bed hospital which is coming up in Raghubir Nagar. It is now scheduled to be completed by December.

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia after a review meeting with the PWD and health department officials on Monday had said the work was apace on a "mission mode" on these projects, as he issued instructions for a timely completion of these hospitals.

Sisodia was informed by the officials in the meeting that construction work of most of the hospitals will be completed by the end of this year, whereas others will be completed by the mid-2023.

Officials in the DDMA meeting had said that the number of beds in these seven hospitals may vary due to the changed COVID scenario and beginning of outdoor patient and other general services.

In June, Lt Governor V K Saxena had given a nod to Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) to probe the allegations of irregularities in awarding of tenders for the construction of these hospitals by the Public Works Department (PWD) of the Delhi government.

Construction of four other hospitals by the city government was also found delayed with about 50 per cent, the data showed.

Only 48 per cent work was completed on the Siraspur hospital with 1,164 beds, which was scheduled to be complete by end of September next year.

The remaining three hospitals in Jwalapuri, Madipur, and Hastsal will have 691 beds each, it revealed.

The work on Jwalapuri and Madipur hospitals, which were scheduled to be ready by June 2023, was complete by only 65 per cent and 57 per cent.

The Hastsal hospital was just 12 per cent ready and was scheduled to be complete by December 2023.

These 11 hospitals will prove to be helpful in fighting situations like the COVID pandemic and emergency cases efficiently, Sisodia had earlier said.