No power for Sivakasi hospital: 4 mths on, new block yet to open

VIRUDHUNAGAR: A Rs 40-crore expansion block at the Sivakasi Government Hospital, built to strengthen emergency and burns care in the industrial town, which is prone to firecracker accidents, has remained non-functional for nearly four months due to a delay in providing an electricity connection.

The seven-storey facility, whose civil works were completed in February, is yet to be commissioned despite nearly 90 per cent of the project being completed, with officials citing the lack of power supply.

The upgraded hospital has been built with financial support from the Centre and the State government to cater to the growing healthcare needs of Sivakasi, which has a large concentration of fireworks, printing and match industries that frequently report industrial accidents.

Once operational, the new block will house a 26-bed Intensive Care Unit (ICU), a neonatal intensive care unit, a breast milk bank, maternity wards, laboratory facilities, digital X-ray services, four modern operation theatres and a 139-bed inpatient ward.

Officials said the building and internal infrastructure have been completed, but the facility has been awaiting an electricity connection for the past four months.

Sivakasi taluk has a population of around 2 lakh, while more than 500 fireworks units, 800 printing presses and 200 match factories operate in the region. The government hospital also treats a large number of migrant workers employed in these industries.

Residents and industrial workers have urged the authorities to expedite the power connection and commission the new block, saying the delay has deprived the region of much-needed advanced healthcare facilities, particularly for burns and accident victims.