VS hospital will not be discontinued: Ahmedabad civic body to HC

The submission comes following apprehensions raised by the petitioner — party-in-person advocate Khemchand Koshti — that the hospital buildings are being demolished and the hospital will eventually be closed and would thus adversely impact the public, depriving poor and middle class patients of the city of free healthcare.

Following the petitioner’s submission last week, a division bench of the Gujarat HC headed by Chief Justice Aravind Kumar had inquired from AMC’s counsel Anuj Trivedi as to what AMC plans to do with the hospital after the demolition.

Trivedi had submitted that the demolition is being undertaken owing to the dilapidated condition of the buildings. The bench had insisted that a statement be made before the court as to what is the plan for the hospital after the demolition.

Chaudhary, in the affidavit dated September 12, submitted that Sheth VS Hospital and Chinai Hospital, “presently accommodating in all 500 beds with the requisite infrastructure facilities related thereto will not be discontinued and that the same will be continued.”

Chaudhary further sought that the PIL be disposed of, taking into account the statement on oath made by him before the court.

The matter has been posted for further hearing on September 19.

The 90-year-old charitable VS Hospital, established in 1931, was shrunk from an 1155-bed hospital to 500 beds in December 2018, after the AMC started the new SVP Hospital right next door.

Despite vehement opposition from the donor families, the 655 beds were shifted to the new SVP Hospital which PM Modi inaugurated in January 2019.