In Madhya Pradesh's Khajrana, There Is A 50-Bed Hospital That Exists Only On Cyberspace

Indore: For the past six years, there is a 50-bed hospital in Indore's Khajrana locality, which exists only on cyberspace. If you check the Health Department's online records, you will find the hospital listed as operational. Even the sanctioned posts, doctor appointments and staff transfers at the hospital are available online. However, in reality, not a single brick has been laid for this hospital. Instead, the site is littered with piles of garbage.

To provide healthcare services to lakhs of residents, the Urban Primary Health Centre was slated for an upgrade to a Civil Hospital. Yet, the new hospital has not become operational over the past six years. In government records, however, the hospital is listed as active, with sanctioned posts and medical staff.

Medical officers, nurses and other healthcare personnel have been sanctioned and posted to the facility over the years, even though no physical infrastructure has been created. The issue has now snowballed into a political controversy, with the Congress announcing that it will raise the matter in the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly.

Former Minister Sajjan Singh Verma said, "The hospital was never built, yet staff appointments and transfers continued unabated. This matter warrants a high-level inquiry. The Congress will raise this issue during the upcoming Assembly session. On what grounds have postings and transfers been made in the hospital's name for six years when neither the land nor the building exists? When, after all, will the wait for a modern government hospital—serving a population of over three lakh people—finally come to an end?"

The anomaly surfaced again after fresh postings were issued recently. Investigations revealed that while 87 posts have been sanctioned for the proposed hospital, land was never allocated.

The staff sanctioned for the Khajrana hospital are currently serving at PC Sethi Hospital, Hukumchand Hospital, and other government institutions, while some employees have been shifted to the city's Sanjeevani Clinics.

Deputy Chief Minister Rajendra Shukla said, "There used to be an Urban PHC here, which was subsequently upgraded to a 50-bed Civil Hospital. However, construction could not commence due to the unavailability of land. The sanctioned staff have been adjusted to other city hospitals and Sanjeevani Clinics. Efforts to locate suitable land for the hospital are ongoing."

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