KOCHI: The Punarjjani project of the National of Service Scheme (NSS) Technical Cell to rejuvenate the government hospitals in the state including their buildings, furniture, biomedical equipment and supply and disposal systems, made a landmark achievement last year by repairing these worth Rs 56.73 crore.
This was achieved utilising just Rs 50 lakh out of the Rs 2 crore provided in the 2017-18 state budget. The work was undertaken in 55 NSS camps in 60 government institutions.
“Ever since the inception of the scheme in 2014, a total 242 hospitals and 25 other institutions including schools, public offices and higher education institutions were rejuvenated with the help of more than 300 programme officers and 18,500 selected volunteers from engineering colleges and polytechnics across Kerala. They worked ceaselessly and restored the healthcare facilities of hospitals worth more than Rs 91.64 crore since 2014,” said Blesson Paul, district field officer, NSS Technical Cell, Ernakulam.
Major share of these assets were created by repairing biomedical equipment like projection perimeter, dental chairs, X-Ray machines, suction apparatus, suction pumps, generators, pulse oximeters, ECG apparatus, vehicles, biogas plants, ambulances and other vehicles, hot air ovens, nebulisers, BP apparatus, furniture like delivery coat, surgical coat, drip stand, trolley, wheelchairs, computers, printers, projectors, smart boards, smart classroom systems, solar water heater and its distribution system, sewage treatment, water distribution, power distribution, maintenance like painting and repair of buildings.
“Most of the biomedical equipment and electrical equipment were discarded and dumped as waste due to minor complaints like missing drivers or burnt fuse. NSS volunteers identified the errors and complaints in the equipment and rectified them mainly during the Onam vacation camps,” he said. It rejuvenated Kerala’s public health care system spread across Government Medical Colleges, General Hospitals, district hospitals, taluk hospitals, women and children hospitals, community health centres, primary health centres and Ayurveda and Homeopathy hospitals.
“These hospitals will now be able to provide better healthcare facilities to the needy due to the success of our mission. We now hope to take the mission forward utilising '1 crore sanctioned by the state government in the latest budget,” said Abdul Jabbar Ahamed, state programme coordinator. The state mega camp held at Kozhikode Government Medical College and Kozhikode Corporation achieved the highest asset recreation at Rs 14.74 crore. The Ernakulam camp clocked a target of Rs 4.28 crore. The participants were honoured by the state technical education department the other day,
