Operation demolition begins at GH

By Saptarshi Bhattacharya

CHENNAI, MARCH 28. The demolition of the one-and-a-half centuries old Government General Hospital building has finally begun, to give way to a set of new buildings.

The hospital authorities today said the CSI church housed on the first floor of the old block which was also to be demolished, has been allotted a separate place behind the canteen. The authorities said they would put up a shed at the place before the church was shifted.

Meanwhile, the church authorities had asked for time till Easter before they shift. ``The order has been issued and will reach them in a couple of days. The lease period they asked for is being considered'', the hospital authorities said.

The demolition process, which began on Saturday, is likely to take about three months before the construction begins. The workers today were removing the asbestos sheets and other accessory materials on the second floor before they began the demolition work. The entire eastern front of the main building has been cordoned off with tin sheets.

The rebuilding project was drawn up by the PWD, based on a structural assessment of the old building in September after the floor of the TB Ward (34-H) collapsed on August 20 last year. One patient died and 12 patients, two doctors, attenders and paramedical staff were injured.

The hospital authorities are facing a major difficulty of accommodating about 1,000-odd beds, from the various wards of the old building, within the existing facilities.

The medical wards have been accommodated on the first floor of HIV and STD ward. The surgical wards from the old block have been shifted to the other surgical wards functioning in the adjoining block.

The rheumatology and diabetology departments have been accommodated in the new library building in the college premises. Similarly, the other speciality departments have been shifted to Neurology, and Trauma Ward buildings.

The old block which is to be demolished, housed about 25 wards. Doctors said the major task ahead was to maintain the existing wards in proper shape with the sudden increase of patients. Hygiene has suffered a blow. In many of these wards, the surgical gastro-enterology ward for example, there was hardly any space between two beds.

If the space problem worsened, the hospital authorities said they would move chronic patients to Periyar Nagar hospital, KK Nagar, Kasturba Gandhi hospital, Maternity and Children's Hospital in Egmore, and other medical institutions coming under the GH.

The project envisages two seven-floor buildings in place of the main structure spread over about an acre of land. The present phase of construction, as per an announcement made by the Health Minister, would take about 18 months.

The Madras General Hospital was founded in 1664, rebuilt in 1692, demolished and rebuilt in 1711. It was moved to the present location in 1753.

Expansion works were carried out in 1859, 1874, 1884, 1894 and 1897. The second floor of the old block, where ward 34-H was functioning, was among the structures which came up during the extensions. The GH was remodelled between 1928 and 1938.

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