Gurgaon: The long-pending Civil Lines hospital project is set to move forward. Haryana director general of health services Dr Manish Bansal on Tuesday said the building plans for the new facility have been approved and construction is expected to begin soon.“The land is available and the building plans and map have already been approved. Now that the transition from the earlier plan of developing a 750-bed facility is finalised, the executive agency will be directed to begin construction,” Bansal told TOI.The project has remained stalled for years after the old building was demolished for reconstruction in 2019, raising concerns over inadequate govt healthcare infrastructure in the city.Bansal was in Gurgaon as part of a surprise inspection of Civil Hospital in Sector 10 and a review of health facilities in Gurgaon, Palwal and Nuh districts. During the visit, officials inspected the emergency ward, laboratories, OPDs, ICU facilities and labour room services at the Sector 10 hospital.Bansal said the unannounced visit was aimed at assessing the hospital’s functioning under normal conditions and identifying gaps in patient care. “We met specialists and reviewed the issues they are facing. The focus is to strengthen services, reduce unnecessary referrals and ensure patients receive maximum treatment facilities at govt hospitals,” he said.Officials said several services at the hospital, including laboratory facilities, X-ray services, emergency care and ICU operations, were functioning satisfactorily. While no major misconduct or complaint was found against hospital staff, Bansal said some shortcomings requiring corrective measures were identified and communicated to officials.He also raised concerns over the presence of private ambulances and autorickshaws near the emergency ward, alleging that some patients were being diverted to private hospitals. “We have asked officials to take strict action as private ambulances and autorickshaws stationed near the emergency ward persuade patients to shift to private hospitals by claiming adequate treatment facilities are unavailable here,” he said.With Gurgaon witnessing rapid population growth over the past decade, patient load at govt hospitals has increased significantly. More than 2,000 patients visit the OPD at the Sector 10 Civil Hospital daily, making it the city’s only major operational govt hospital.Bansal said the govt is also working to expedite other healthcare infrastructure projects across the state.
