Chandigarh: Planning failures have left critical clinical services at the PGI in limbo for nearly three years at the transplant surgery department.The problem stems from a decision to remove air handling units (AHUs) from the ground floor to allow the nephrology department to expand its clinical services. However, this move was reportedly executed without a definitive plan for where the units would be relocated.While initial proposals suggested moving the AHUs to the roof, the plan was repeatedly blocked by objections that the installation would cause the roof to leak, especially following recent waterproofing work. This administrative “deadlock” has led to multiple changes in the project’s direction over several years.The issue has persisted since the PGI caught fire in 2023. Initially, placing the units on the roof was planned, but leaking was reasoned as a major obstacle, stating the roof would leak. Currently, engineering teams are making a platform to place the AHUs.In the meantime, the patients for transplant surgery are being operated on in different operation theatres. The prolonged renovation work has forced a “make-shift” arrangement for medical services. “We were told that the operation will be conducted at a different level, while we have to come to the doctor for evaluation which is not near the OT,” said a patient’s relative.“Operation theaters (OTs) have been scattered, requiring both medical staff and patients to ‘shuttle’ between different areas for procedures and post-operative recovery,” said a faculty member.Staff members report that the volume of work has decreased due to these logistical hurdles, as equipment and patients must be constantly moved across different wings of the hospital.While administration officials have reportedly claimed the issues are being resolved, the timeline remains extended. “We have found a resolution and soon the AHU will be placed enabling the OT to be operational,” said Dr Sameer Aggarwal, faculty in-charge of the engineering wing.
