The Business Bytes
TBB BUREAU
ROURKELA, MARCH 30, 2021
Keeping in view the growing health care needs of the people and the lack of super speciality facilities in Sundergarh region, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his visit to Rourkela on April 1, 2015, had promised the people of this region to set up a Super Specialty Hospital at Ispat General Hospital (IGH).
In a meeting in June, 2018 upgradation of IGH to a Super-Specialty Hospital and PG Medical Education Centre to be taken up in one phase for identified specialities and DNB courses (equivalent to PG degree) was approved along with funding by Govt of India. AIIMS, Bhubaneswar was appointed as the mentor in technical matters and project execution work was assigned to NBCC, a Navratna CPSE.
The new hospital Ispat Post-Graduate Institute and Super Specialty Hospital (IPGISSH) was also decided to be run through PPP mode. Five departments were earmarked for up-gradation to super-specialty, namely, Neurosurgery, Neurology, Cardiology, Cardiac Surgery and Nephrology.
The project work commenced in the first week of March 2019, and with combined efforts of SAIL-RSP and NBCC the project work could be completed within 2 years’ time and a world class super specialty facility was set up at Rourkela.
Apart from the super specialty disciplines of Neurology, Neuro-Surgery, Cardiology, Cardio Thoracic & Vascular Surgery (CTVS) and Nephrology, the 200-bed hospital has facilities equipped with avant-garde medical equipment like 50 ventilators, 60 bedside monitors, 44 cardiac monitors, 3 mobile X-Ray machines, high frequency digital X ray machine, 256 slice CT scan, MRI 3 Tesla, 2 Cath labs (uniplane & biplane), CRRT machine, 5 ultra modern modular operation theatres, a 20-bed ICU, along with advanced sewage and effluent treatment facilities.
In the intervening time, the 6th super speciality facility i.e. Burns & Plastic Surgery unit has also been separately commissioned at the IGH by SAIL-RSP.
Appreciating the overall situation in view of ensuing completion of the construction of the hospital, the competent authority constituted a Trust, i.e. ‘Rourkela Ispat Trust’ (RIT) with the RSP CEO as its Chairman. The Collector, Sundargarh and two other local eminent persons are among the other members to provide necessary flexibility in managing the hospital and selecting an O&M partner. It has also been decided that initial expenditure to meet the viability gaps would be met by SAIL-RSP.
In the mean time OPD facilities has commenced in 3 disciplines with the available super specialists and medical staffs from IGH and from Apollo Hospital, AMRI, CARE Hospital, Kalinga Hospital and other institutions by contractual arrangements. The OPDs are operational for 6 days a week as per schedule. The fees for the said treatments are kept in line with the prevailing arrangements at IGH. Process is going on for direct contractual recruitment of super specialists and other medical staffs with suitable remuneration for specified periods.
In order to give more serious emphasis on the hospital management issues, SAIL-RSP has posted an ED and a CGM rank officer to especially implement the start of various facilities in the new hospital at the earliest.
IPGISSH is a big modern complex institution that requires systematic approach to make it fully operational over a period of time.
In spite of challenges of non-availability of suitable medical staff as well as in a serious pandemic situation, SAIL-RSP management could complete the construction of the hospital in two years’ time and made operational three OPDs immediately after dedication of the hospital complex by the President of India on March 21. The IPGISSH along with the upgraded Burns care unit at IGH has reinforced SAIL, Rourkela Steel Plant’s commitment to serve the community better.
