The 11-storey building constructed by Sassoon Hospital a few years ago, which has been lying vacant for years due to lack of funds, is likely to become operational as a super-specialty facility before the end of this year as the state government on Friday gave pending administrative approval for spending Rs 41.03 crore on the project. The money will be used for undertaking requisite ancillary works and purchase of equipment required for various state-of-the-art equipment for the super-specialty wing. Envisaged in 2008, the facility was supposed to be operational by 2011-12. It was delayed by about eight years due to lack of funds and government apathy. The construction of the building started in 2010. The government initially allocated Rs 45 crore for construction, but work on only six floors could be completed with the amount. The state government allotted Rs 25 crore in 2012 for the rest of the civil work, which was completed in 2014. Although, the 11-storey building (excluding a basement and ground floor) was constructed, there was no money left for doing ancillary works, and to buy hospital equipment. With the latest approval, the advanced medical facilities that were planned will finally be available to local residents. Highly-placed government officials said the allocation of Rs 41.03 crore will provide impetus to the project. “We couldn’t proceed due to lack of administrative approval for expenditure on ancillary works, equipment. now that the approval has come, this will push the project and the building should be operational by the year end,” said the official. The administrative approval has been given under the conditions that work for which money has been granted will be undertaken as per the rules of Public Works Department and that Medical Education and Drugs Department (MEDD) is consulted at various levels. The new building will house super-speciality departments of tuberculosis, dermatology, neurology, nephrology, orthopaedics, ophthalmology and ear-nose-throat care. By creating the new facility, with special rooms for patients and ultra-modern equipment, the hospital — which attracts thousands of patients, most of them from poor families — had planned to cater to middle-class patients, who largely rely on private hospital for healthcare. The pendency of this project can be gauged from the fact that there have been a total of five ministers since the project was commenced. Dr Vijaykumar Gavit was the MEDD minister when the project started. He was succeeded by Jitendra Awhad of NCP, and then, as the government changed, by Vinod Tawde and Girish Mahajan of the BJP. Amit Deshmukh of the Congress holds the ministry now.
