The H B Desai Eye Hospital in Pune renowned for being the first eye hospital in the city to be ISO: 9002 certified, plans to expand its bed capacity from 100 to 200 and simultaneously add a research centre in the new hospital.
According to senior source from the hospital, while work on the expansion project has already begun the hospital would be simultaneously applying for recognition of its residency posts by the National Board of Examinations. According to him, work on the research institute that would constitute Phase III of the expansion plans and will get underway only after work on the Phase II expansion plans (adding 100 more beds) is complete. P-II of the hospital work should be tentatively over by year-end, he said.
Funding for the entire project that includes Rs. 7 crore for adding 100 new beds including cost of equipment and another Rs 3 crore for the new research wing, would be sanctioned by CBM International, an international charitable service organization based in Germany that specialises in the prevention of blindness and the education and rehabilitation of disabled persons with additional aid from Help Age India and through members of various Rotary clubs, it is learnt.
According to Colonel Dr. Deshpande, Medical Director of the Hospital, due to the enormous inflow of patients it was decided to upgrade the hospital with the latest set of equipments and also increase its bed capacity to twice its size. This is the result of the 60 per cent free treatment charges that we offer our patients, he said. "The hospital would be spending close to Rs 7 crore for adding 100 new beds including cost of equipment and another Rs 3 crore for the new research wing", he added.
According to Niranjan Pandya, a social worker who has been associated with the hospital since its inception three years ago, expanding the hospital will only result in spreading its outreach services to a larger section of the society.
"We treat close to 1300-1400 patients per month through our community ophthalmology outreach services. This includes covering a radius of upto 350 kms, transporting the patient to the hospital, providing for his treatment and sending him back home. All these services are rendered free by our hospital," he said.
According to him, the hospital has already managed to sanction land for the above project and the project is scheduled to start within 6-7 months from now. Funds for the entire project would be given by CBM International from Germany, Help Age India and various Rotary Clubs from around the country.
Till date, H B Desai Eye Hospital has performed close to 38,000 cataract surgeries through its community outreach services. It sees close to 350 out patients on a daily basis and provides a one-month medication regime, free of cost. The hospital is run through the philanthropic efforts of various Rotary Clubs from the country and from abroad.