Questions have been raised after staff continued to be posted to Indore's proposed Khajrana Civil Hospital even though the 100-bed facility approved in June 2020 has yet to begin construction. The project, intended to serve more than three lakh residents, remains stalled because the Health Department has not taken possession of the allotted land.

Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO) Dr. Madhav Hasani said the project has been delayed for several years due to unresolved land-related issues, while sanctioned personnel have been deployed to other public health facilities to meet operational requirements.

Khajrana Civil Hospital was approved by the Madhya Pradesh government on June 23, 2020, as a 100-bed facility for one of Indore's fastest-growing urban regions. However, construction has yet to begin because the Health Department has not taken possession of the allotted site.

Chief Medical and Health Officer Dr. Madhav Hasani told ANI, "The land has been allotted to us, but we have not yet received possession of it." He added that the Collector has directed officials to expedite pending matters so that work on the project can move forward.

The proposed hospital was intended to serve more than three lakh residents in Khajrana, Musakhedi, Tejaji Nagar, Bicholi Hapsi, and nearby areas. Officials have said the facility would also help reduce patient load at MY Hospital, MTH Hospital, and the District Hospital, which continue to handle a large share of the city's public healthcare needs.

The Madhya Pradesh government sanctioned 87 posts for Khajrana Civil Hospital, including specialist doctors, medical officers, nurses, pharmacists, laboratory technicians, and support staff, when the project was approved in June 2020.

Dr. Madhav Hasani said the employees are not stationed at an unbuilt facility but have been assigned to government healthcare centres across Indore.

He told ANI, "The staff has been sanctioned in the name of the Khajrana Hospital. The department is aware that there is a manpower shortage at Sanjeevani Clinics, so the staff is being utilized there."

He added that personnel have been deployed at around 85 Sanjeevani Clinics, as well as other hospitals in the city.

Deputy Chief Minister and Health Minister Rajendra Shukla also dismissed claims that the project exists only on paper.

"The hospital has been approved, posts and funds have been sanctioned, but work could not begin because land was not available," he told reporters, adding that the sanctioned positions remained on the departmental portal and staff were adjusted at other facilities until construction could begin.

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Residents of Khajrana, Musakhedi, Tejaji Nagar, Bicholi Hapsi, and nearby areas continue to depend on MY Hospital, MTH Hospital, and the District Hospital for treatment, adding to the burden on some of Indore's busiest government healthcare centres.

The proposed 100-bed Khajrana Civil Hospital was expected to bring medical services closer to local communities and improve access for more than three lakh people in the region. Had the project moved ahead as planned, it could have eased patient load at major public hospitals across the city.

Former minister Sajjan Singh Verma has sought a high-level inquiry into staff postings linked to the unbuilt facility.

Meanwhile, Arshad Mirza Beg, president of the Khajrana Hospital Sangharsh Samiti, said, "The demand for the hospital was first raised in 2018." He also alleged that land identified for the project remains under illegal occupation, delaying construction.

For now, the future of Khajrana Civil Hospital depends on resolving the land dispute and beginning work on a long-pending project intended to improve access to government healthcare services.

(Rh/TP/MSM)