Contractor constructing new JJ Hospital building has asked for another extension despite project having been granted one in 2023
Under-construction super-speciality facility at JJ Hospital in Byculla on May 9. Pics/Sayyed Sameer Abedi
The new 10-storey building at JJ Hospital, which has been under construction since July 21, 2020, is likely to be handed over by the contractor only in December this year. The structure was to be completed by July 20, 2023. However, as only 29 per cent of the work was finished by this date, a 20-month extension was given.
With the extension elapsing on March 30 this year and the contractor recently applying for another one, patients will have to wait it out for another year to get access to multi-speciality healthcare, as setting up the medical infrastructure will take time. “We will need a minimum of six months [from the date the structure is handed over] to transfer wards and install medical equipment to make the building functional for patients,” said Dr Ajay Bhandarwar, dean of JJ Hospital.
While the contractor had asked for time till next March, the public works department has asked the firm to finish the work by November and hand over the building to the hospital by December at the latest.
Why the delay?
“The work slowed down tremendously during the pandemic. This was followed by Assembly and general elections, for which labourers had to visit their hometowns. Once these workers leave, they do not return for at least a month. Getting additional labourers to speed up the work consumed much of our time, considering the multiple massive projects that are coming up across the country. A labour shortage is being faced by every contractor,” said Rajiv Kumar, project manager, Capacite Infra Projects Ltd, the company that had been granted the tender.
“The hospital authorities had decided to opt for an extension [in 2023] despite the massive delay because changing the contractor altogether would mean starting the process from scratch, which would have led to more delays,” said Dr Bhandarwar.
As of May 9, around 70 per cent of the work is completed, the contractor told mid-day. “Before the monsoon arrives, the RCC [reinforced cement concrete] work for all four sections of the project will be completed. Thus, this rainy season will not hamper or halt the work. And we are confident that we will be able to hand over the building by December,” said Kumar.
A distant dream
Though the state-run hospital has several amenities, patients are being deprived of many multi-speciality facilities that have been planned in light of the new building. “There are a couple of completely new things that we are planning to start. We have recently introduced robotic arm surgery for which we wish to expand our training facilities. At present, students undergo a 30-hour robot surgery training within the hospital. However, they must go to AIIMS Delhi for advanced training done using cadavers. If the new building is operational, we can expand the robot surgery department.
A plan for establishing a skills centre is also in the pipeline. But we are not taking talks forward at a fast pace as our building isn’t completed yet. Where will we store the expensive equipment and instruments when we procure them?” asked the dean. Along with introducing VVIP wards, the new building will have cardiovascular, neurology, neurosurgery, paediatric, urology, gastroenterology, surgical oncology, endocrinology, nephrology, chest and pulmonary diseases, pharmacology, haematology, rheumatology, medical oncology and other departments.
Patient Speak
Pratiksha Bhoir, a patient visiting the OPD for her regular pre-pregnancy gynaecological check-up, told mid-day, “The hospital and government are providing much-needed healthcare free of cost. However, though we are economically backwards people, are we not citizens? Do we not deserve the best medical facility possible? I have heard that in many foreign countries, medical facilities are free even if you have a good income. If the new hospital is started soon, we can also get good, modern healthcare.”
Nusrat Zaidi, who was suffering from a viral fever, said, “We’ve been hearing the sound of construction for several years. Doctors had told us we were going to have a new hospital. But the work has not been completed yet. It would bring great relief, especially to Byculla residents, if we could get access to modern medical treatments.”
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