BHUBANESWAR: Even as the third wave of the pandemic has already shown its initial signs with faster doubling rate in cities like Mumbai and Delhi, dismal utilisation of funds sanctioned to develop health infrastructure to tackle the spike in cases in Odisha has come as a shocker.
Under the Phase II of Emergency COVID Response Package (ECRP), the State was to set up COVID care centres and paediatric ICUs, strengthen diagnostics, telemedicine hubs besides, streamlining oxygen supply and transportation of critical patients.
While Odisha was to spend Rs 861.96 crore including the Central share of Rs 517.18 crore and the State share of Rs 344.78 crore, only 5.37 per cent of the funds has been utilised so far. Several projects worth around Rs 790.69 crore were approved for the State but only Rs 42.49 crore have been utilised.
Though initially the projects were to be completed by March 31, 2022, the State government during a review of the ECRP-II in August had directed the districts to complete all projects by December-end in anticipation of the third wave early next year.
Sources said most of the projects are yet to take off. Surprisingly, the field hospitals and paediatric units in selected district headquarters hospitals and CHCs could not be set up due to lack of suitable space. Equipment and instruments for Paediatric Centre of Excellence (CoE), paediatric ICU and Advanced Life Support Ambulances (ALS) have not been procured.
In some districts, the pre-fabricated structures for COVID facilities have not been set up as the tender cost was substantially higher than that of unit cost. The bidder had charged Rs 15.5 lakh for six-bed structure against the approved cost of Rs 9.68 lakh and Rs 57.6 lakh for 20-bed structure against Rs 32.28 lakh.
The Works department, which was entrusted with the construction of 50-bed field hospitals, has submitted that the works could not be initiated at 13 places as the districts failed to identify locations as per the criteria.
With the outbreak of Omicron cases that is set to bring in the third wave, the Health and Family Welfare department has swung into action to complete the projects at the earliest. Additional Chief Secretary of Health RK Sharma has directed officials to take necessary steps for completion of the projects in a time-bound manner.