Prayagraj: Hearing a PIL on the poor condition of Swaroop Rani Nehru Hospital (SRN), an associate hospital of Moti Lal Nehru Medical College, the Allahabad high court has appreciated state govt’s move to provide additional land for its expansion.The court expressed hope that the allotment would address medical issues faced by patients from Prayagraj and neighbouring districts.Taking on record the counter affidavit filed by the UP chief secretary, Justice Rohit Ranjan Agarwal observed that the “dream of a tertiary medical setup in the city has begun to take shape” with the allotment of 50,014 sqm of land to the medical college.He noted that the expansion and upgradation of SRN Hospital had been made possible within a short span due to efforts of former additional chief secretary (medical health, family welfare and medical education) Partha Sarthi Sen Sharma and incumbent Amit Kumar Ghosh.The court remarked that for long, residents had to travel to Lucknow or New Delhi for advanced treatment due to inadequate health infrastructure in the city.“The allotment paves the way for specialised treatment facilities within the city and for catering to nearby districts,” the court said in its May 26 order, adding that the move reflects govt’s commitment to strengthening healthcare.It also noted that close monitoring of construction activity by the chief secretary indicated the govt’s sensitivity to public needs.During the hearing, district magistrate Manish Kumar Verma and MLN Medical College principal V K Pandey were present. The court exempted Pandey from personal appearance until further orders and posted the matter for May 29.
