CHENNAI: The Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital's failure to assess actual requirements has led to three completed buildings worth Rs 55.33 crores remaining idle depriving critical care to patients, the CAG report tabled in the assembly observed on Thursday.
In 2015-16, the state government had accorded administrative and financial sanction for construction of four multi-storeyed buildings at an estimated cost of Rs 124.48 crores. Of the four, the structures of three buildings -- Rheumatology, Nephrology and Urology and Hepatology -- were all completed in February 2017, March 2017 and June 2018 respectively.
The buildings were not commissioned as of March 2020 due to non-completion of electrical works due to a delay in Revised Administrative Sanction (RAS).
"Audit observed that the plan/drawings of the three buildings were vetted by the Dean, RGGGH prior to formal sanction. The Dean, RGGGH admitted (January 2018) in his letter to PWD that air conditioning for compulsory areas were left out in the original plans. Further, the original estimate did not provide for uninterrupted power supply for critical facilities in Nephrology and Urology blocks," the report stated.
These lapses necessitated the RAS proposals and led to the buildings remaining idle for 22-37 months after their construction due to lack of electrical supply. The 'avoidable delay' has also impacted service delivery.
For instance, the nephrology department received 15 new haemodialysis machines in 2018 for installation at the new block. The delay in commissioning the new block has also delayed the installation of the new machines, the report observed.