Patna, Jan. 16: Citizens who turn up at Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital off Bailey Road for orthopaedic and neurological care are often disappointed because the centre neither has the required equipment nor sufficient number of beds.

On March 1, 2008, the state government had decided to upgrade it to a super-speciality centre for orthopaedic and neurological surgeries. But four years and many government announcements later, the journey of the erstwhile Rajvanshi Nagar Hospital from an ordinary urban primary health centre to a hi-tech healthcare facility is still incomplete.

Many departments at the heath hub do not have the promised number of beds. Equipment like magnetic resonance imaging, CT scan, USG and X-ray are also missing.

The authorities, however, claim that everything is hunky-dory. On a visit to the hospital today, health department principal secretary Amarjeet Sinha said after August 2011, when the state cabinet gave an official nod to develop the Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital at Rajvanshi Nagar in the city as a super-speciality health hub, things have taken a flight. Last year, the state cabinet had also sanctioned 140 permanent posts and Rs 3.45 crore for payment of salary to its employees, a 60-bed neuro ward, a six-bed casualty ward and a two-bed emergency minor surgical ward.

Sinha also said the hospital will formally be inaugurated by the end of this month. “By then, most of the appointments will be complete,” he added

The senior officer claimed that the hospital is already functioning as a super-speciality hospital for bone-related ailments. “A dedicated team of seven specialist doctors is performing various advanced surgeries. A 60-bed orthopaedic ward is complete on the first floor. These beds are yet to be fitted with necessary equipment and monitors. However, as various complicated surgeries are being performed now, the number of patients has increased manifold. In first few days of this year, several surgeries like reconstructive surgeries for hands, fixation of internal fractures have been done,” he added.

The truth is different: The orthopedic department has only 24 beds. The neuro department, casualty ward and the ICU have no beds whatsoever to accommodate patients.

Health department officials are, however, hopeful that the hospital will be able to provide a one-house solution to people suffering from bone, brain and spinal injuries. “The Rajvanshi Nagar Hospital was selected for upgrade into a fully equipped medical centre. It is expected to take a lot of burden off Patna Medical College and Hospital,” said a senior health department officer.

Even as they wait for the nod of the state government, the hospital officials are consulting with experts from All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, to upgrade the hospital into a state-of-the-art super-speciality trauma centre.

Dr P.P. Kotwal, head of department, orthopaedics, AIIMS, held a meeting with the health department and hospital officials today. He said the hospital had done a good job in the past one year, but it still has a long way to go before it can be termed as a su-per-speciality bone hospital.