IPW will be handed over to maternity hospital

Tirupati: Health Minister Kamineni Srinivas said that the government would soon decide on handing over the building of Institute for Pregnant Women (IPW) back to the government maternity hospital here.

Speaking to newsmen here on Friday, the Minister said that the government under some special circumstances had given the building to SVIMS for its women medical college, to fulfill MCI guidelines for starting MBBS course in the newly set up college As the construction of the new building of SVIMS medical college is completed, the government would consider the handing over of the IPW building to maternity hospital.

Responding to query, he said that the government was fully aware of the maternity hospital here was crowded with increasing number of patients and added that same was the condition in other State-run maternity hospital in the districts.

Replying a question on the government’s move to shift the cancer hospital sanction to SVRR hospital here, the Minister indirectly said that the government felt that there was no need for a new cancer hospital, as SVIMS is having state of the art facilities for cancer treatment.

“SVIMS cancer department is one of the best in the State providing good treatment to the patients,’’ he said adding that the final decision on setting up the caner hospital will be taken up after discussing with the Centre. He declined to talk further on the issue.

When newsmen drew his attention to SVIMS administration is being run by an in-charge, the Minister said that SVIMS director N Ravikumar who is on three month leave will join duty on March 27. The Minister along with Environment and Forests Minister B Gopalakrishna Reddy, later, inaugurated the newly set up facility `Operating micro scoping machine’ in SVIMS Neurology department and held a meeting with the senior staff of the hospital including doctors, faculty members of SVIMS Deemed university.

Hailing SVIMS as the best and biggest super specialty hospital in the State, he patted the doctors for the good services being provided in the hospital to the poor from various districts. SVIMS in-charge director Sivakumar and others were present.

Earlier, the Minister laid foundation stone for the construction of the hostel building for the government nursing college in SVRR Hospital complex, taken up at a cost of Rs 10 crore.