Monday, 11 NOVEMBER 2024 | my uttarakhand news | DEHRADUN Dehradun district magistrate Savin Bansal expressed strong dissatisfaction over the closed ICU at the government sub-district hospital in Rishikesh and directed the management to make it operational within the next 15 days. He warned the hospital authorities that failure to comply with this directive will result in stringent action against them. During a meeting on Sunday, Bansal expressed his displeasure over the current state of the hospital and its services to the management committee of the sub-district hospital. The meeting was held to address the ongoing issues faced by patients and attendants in the hospital. The DM made it clear that the hospital’s facilities and services should be utilised for the public benefit, not for individual or arbitrary decision-making. He particularly took issue with the hospital’s closed ICU, emphasising that it must be operational within the next 15 days. He warned that failure to do so will lead to serious consequences. Besides this, he also approved the establishment of a separate blood bank unit and directed the deployment of additional staff to ensure the proper functioning of a 24-hour blood bank. Despite the lack of official positions, the DM sanctioned the appointment of four lab technicians and four lab assistants on a contractual basis to manage the blood bank. He further approved the allocation of one ALS ambulance from the CSR fund and gave the green light for the procurement of equipment necessary for blood component separation. In addition to these measures, the DM instructed the sub divisional magistrate and chief medical officer to conduct a joint inspection of the hospital to ensure the smooth functioning of all departments. He reiterated that no shortage of resources will be tolerated and the facilities must be expanded for the benefit of the public. He assured that adequate financial support will be provided to meet the hospital’s needs. The DM also directed the chief medical officer to collaborate with Government Doon Medical College hospital instead of the Haldwani Medical College for the technical testing of the Coronation Blood Donor Unit at both the Rishikesh sub-district hospital and the district hospital.