CUTTACK: With Japanese grant-in aid of Rs. 37 crores, the city-based Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Post-graduate Institute of Paediatrics, known as Sishu Bhawan, the only referral centre for children in Eastern India is now ready after a major facelift. The renovated hospital will be inaugurated on April 2, according to its superintendent N.K. Mohanty.

"The expansion project, which got under way in April 2005, was completed as per the schedule," says Dr. Mohanty.

Supervision

The Japan government-sponsored Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has supervised the progress of the project work which includes a two-storied international standard building over an area of 18,000 square feet. Japan-based Yokogawa Architects and Engineers have designed the building while Sumitomo Mitsui Construction Corporation took up the civil work, say JICA sources.

The building houses OPD, casualty, laboratories, radio-imaging section, OTs, central sterilisation unit and a total of 116 beds, including 21 ICU beds, and 30 newborn special care beds, says Dr. Mohanty.

As per the MoU signed with the Japan government, the hospital now has the state-of-the-art equipments like ultrasound, ventilators, X-Ray, multi-parameter monitors, pulse oxy-meters and defibrillators by the Tokyo-based Ogawa Seikii worth over Rs. 25 crores.

MoU signed

The Sishu Bhawan, however, currently functions with acute shortage of doctors.

Against a requirement of at least 24 doctors to treat patients in six units, it now has only 12 doctors, including four professors.

"Owing to shortage of doctors, as many as two units of Sishu Bhawan were closed while the work in the remaining four units was also hampering due to the same reason," say the sources.

Single parent unit

Although, Sishu Bhawan and the paediatrics department of SCB medical college and hospital here in Cuttack function as two wings of a single parent unit, paediatricians posted at SCB are not willing to work in Sishu Bhawan as per the requirement under internal re-distribution of faculties.

"On the other hand, the paediatrics department of SCB hospital that has only 60 sanctioned beds is overstaffed," add sources.

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