Regional mental hospital in Jalna still on paper after 2 years

Chhatrapati Sambhaji: The Regional Mental Hospital approved by the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Jalna around two years ago is yet to be set up.

The official apathy in setting up the crucial facility for Marathwada has come up as the state cabinet on Wednesday announced a similar hospital at Shirol in Kolhapur district.

While setting up a Regional Mental Hospital was long pending demand, the then state cabinet on August 3, 2021, cleared the proposal for setting up the 350-bed facility at Rs 104.44 crore.

Former public health minister Rajesh Tope, under whose tenure the hospital was sanctioned in Jalna, said things were not expediting as fast as expected after the Shinde-Fadnavis government came took office.

“When the MVA was in office, nearly 20 acres were sanctioned near Kumbhephal on Jalna-Ambad Road to set up the regional mental hospital. The crucial facility is lacking official push and I had raised the issue in the state legislature as well,” he said.

The proposed healthcare facility will house an in-patient department and rehabilitation section among other facilities, which will be beneficial for patients from Marathwada. In the absence of a state-run mental hospital in the region, patients and their relatives are forced to go all the way to Pune and Thane to get the desired healthcare.

Civic activist Vishnu Dhobale said setting up the hospital for Marathwada was part of addressing the backlog in the health sector for the region. “The present government must not neglect it just because the hospital was sanctioned during the MVA government’s time,” he said.

When contacted, Jalna civil surgeon Archana Bhosale said she was stuck in a meeting.

Deputy director of health for Aurangabad division, Mahananda Munde, said she would seek details on the progress of the Regional Mental Hospital in Jalna. Maharashtra public health minister Tanaji Sawant could not be reached for his comments.