Aizawl civil hospital moves out of town

The Mizoram government is taking expeditious steps to shift five departments from Aizawl civil hospital in the heart of the city to yet-to-be completed Falkawn Referral Hospital on the southern periphery of the city. Members of working committee on operationalisation of referral hospital, led by its chairman and parliamentary secretary for health department S Laldingliana, visited the referral hospital to clear grounds for shifting of five departments by November end. "Expeditious steps are being taken to shift departments of medicines, surgery, paediatrics, dental, gynaecology and anaesthesia before the end of November," official sources said. Health minister Lalrinliana Sailo, who visited the referral hospital on Saturday, with the shifting of five departments, the Aizawl Civil Hospital will be downsized to 100 beds from the existing 285 beds, including ten beds in the emergency department. "With 60 to 70 patients admitted on a daily basis, the civil hospital is unable to meet the public demand. The shifting of five departments at the Falkawn Referral Hospital aims to increase the civil hospital's capacity," he said. In the meantime, the emergency department and trauma centre at the Aizawl civil hospital will enlarged and upgraded. Shifting of Aizawl civil hospital's departments to Falkawn Referral Hospital, about 15 kilometres from Aizawl, is also done in view of the growing congestion the city, the minister said.

According to Congress party's release, the Lal Thanhawla government during its previous tenure in 1998 floated tender for construction of Falkawn Referral Hospital at the cost of Rs 41 crore. When the Congress party came back to power in 2008, chief minister Lal Thanhawla persuaded the DoNER ministry to sanction Rs 4.61 crore to revive the hospital, allegedly "ruined" by the MNF government. With this fund, the Congress cleared unpaid bills amounting to Rs 1.2 crore to contractors.