Gujarat: Over 5.11 lakh unusable items identified in govt health facilities under cleanliness drive

Gandhinagar, July 5 (IANS) More than 5.11 lakh unusable items have been identified across Gujarat’s government healthcare network in the first five days of the state-wide ‘Namo Swachhata Abhiyan’, with over 46,000 of them already disposed of on-site, freeing up more than 1,500 rooms for future use, according to the state Health Department.

The department said that on the fifth day of the campaign alone, 58,594 unusable items were identified across more than 12,000 government health institutions, ranging from sub-centres to medical colleges and hospitals.

Of these, 14,390 items were disposed of at their respective locations, allowing 16 additional rooms within hospital premises to be cleared and made available for future patient-related use.

The remaining unusable materials are being processed for disposal in accordance with prescribed procedures. Alongside the disposal exercise, repair work continued across health facilities.

On the fifth day, around 684 items, including wooden and metal furniture, ambulances, government vehicles, electronic and IT equipment, and medical devices, were repaired.

Over the five-day period, approximately 10,165 such assets have been restored for use.

The campaign, launched under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, is being carried out across all government healthcare institutions in the state with the stated objective of improving cleanliness and strengthening healthcare infrastructure.

According to the Health Department, a total of 5,11,221 unusable items have been identified since the drive began. Of these, more than 46,555 have been disposed of on-site, resulting in around 1,512 rooms becoming fit for use again.

“The campaign includes the removal of scrap, junk and other unusable materials from hospital premises, intensive cleaning of buildings and campuses, ensuring the availability of safe drinking water, and carrying out necessary pipeline repairs,” officials said.

Other work being undertaken includes improvements to fire and electrical safety, repairs to furniture, minor civil works, and measures related to Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) to enhance patient safety.

The state-wide campaign was launched from the GMERS Auditorium in Gandhinagar in the presence of Chief Minister Patel and Health Minister Praful Pansheriya.

The cleanliness drive is scheduled to continue until July 7.

–IANS

mys/uk