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A multi-speciality hospital for
people without houses

Sheela Bhatt in Bhuj

It's a strange sight -- the only construction site in a town almost flattened by last year's devastating earthquake!

Not that the reconstruction work in Bhuj, except for this solitary building, is complete. It is, in fact, yet to begin.

But the site of the under-construction state-of-the-art hospital is buzzing with activity. With Rs 1 billion sanctioned from the Prime Minister's Relief Fund, contractors work round-the-clock to complete the project under PMO's direct supervision.

The rest of the town -- houses, schools, markets, dispensaries, roads, sewers -- must wait till a detailed reconstruction plan is finalised by the Bhuj Area Development Authority.

The BADA officials have been hard at work on this plan for one year now and have, in the interim, banned all construction activity in the town. Over 17,000 houses completely destroyed in the quake and over 9,900 rendered unfit for habitation would need their nod before reconstruction could begin.

The work on the hospital, since it has been blessed by the prime minister, continues unhindered.

While some see the proposed hospital as a symbol of hope, others view it as a mark of the administration's insensitive approach to the rehabilitation of quake victims.

"This hospital is like an oasis in a desert," says Navin Joshi, who lost several of his relatives in the quake. "It's a milestone. It's beyond our expectations," Kirti Khatri, editor of Kutch Mitra, agrees.

Over 800 labourers, wearing dark yellow metal caps, work in three shifts at the site.

"We are going to complete the construction of this 300-bed multi-speciality hospital in December 2002," says R S Narayan, senior engineer. In the second phase, another 200 beds will be added.

Expensive seismic-proof technology has been used by Larsen & Toubro, which is executing the project.

"Even if an earthquake of the same intensity as last year's strikes, the super structure will remain intact," Narayan claims.

But is it money well spent when people don't have houses to live?

Ashok Bhargav, who heads IDEAL, a non-profit organisation, feels the money could have been used to revive primary health care centres in neighbouring villages.

IDEAL is working in villages around Bhachau, where more than 1,500 people are in need of urgent orthopaedic attention.

"There is not a single physiotherapist in Bhachau's government hospital. And people are too poor to visit Bhuj for treatment," says Tushar Vali of IDEAL.

But Bhuj residents are happy that a modern hospital is coming up in their town. "We deserve it. It has the potential to become the best secondary-care hospital in Gujarat if managed well," says Dr Gyaneshwar Rao, a leading surgeon.

The Complete Coverage | List of earthquake sites

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