Punarjani' gives rebirth to dumped hospital equipment

KOCHI: The 6,460 National Service Scheme (NSS) technical cell volunteers and over 100 programme officers of polytechnics and engineering colleges in the state have scripted history with their ‘Punarjani Scheme’, repairing damaged furniture and equipment in 100 hospitals worth Rs 10.69 crore in two and a half years. The scheme launched in 2013 December covered different medical colleges, general hospitals, district hospitals, taluk hospitals, community health centres, primary health centres, mental health centres and Ayurveda hospitals.

The students repaired equipment dumped beyond repair including those in the operation theatre. They also undertook repairs of water storage tanks and toilets and carried out painting and wiring, plumbing, waste disposal and cleaning. “Projects like this are needed which, while benefiting the state, enhance the skill capabilities of our young engineers. It shows how the human resources can be used for the development of the state while giving a different level of satisfaction to the individual.  Socially committed engineers are shaped up through the initiative. More such kinds of initiatives should emerge from our campuses, and the government should encourage them,” said Dr M. Abdul Rahman, pro-vice-chancellor of APJ Abdul Kalam Kerala Technological University (KTU).

Having identified the potential of Punarjani Scheme, the last UDF government sanctioned Rs 45 lakh while finance minister Dr T. M. Thomas Issac has set apart a sum of Rs 7.3 crore in this year’s state budget. Abdul Jabbar Ahmed, its project coordinator, won the national award from the President for the best programme coordinator in 2012, 2014 and 2015 while the state NSS technical cell was adjudged the best university cell in the country in 2015. “The seed for the scheme was sowed in a 10-day NSS camp in 2010 and when it developed into a concept, the Youth Welfare Board provided Rs 42 lakh with which repair was undertaken in 42 hospitals. From there, there was no looking back,” says Mr Ahmed.