The renovated Eden Hospital. Picture by Suman Tamang

Darjeeling, Nov. 20: The male patients were today finally shifted out of the cramped Anjuman-e-Islamia complex to the renovated Eden hospital.

A formal inauguration of the 308-bedded hospital will probably be held after a month when everything is in place, said DGHC health officials.

The project, funded by the World Bank, started in April 2000 and was supposed to be complete within 18 months but got “delayed inadvertently”. With the expiry of the delivery period, the DGHC had to cough up an extra Rs 50,000 per month since October 2001 as rental charges for the Anjuman complex. The expense was earlier borne by the World Bank as part of the total construction cost. This was one of the primary reasons that hastened the change of location.

I.N. Pradhan, executive health councillor, said the purchase of modern equipment for various tests was complete. The process of fitting the gadgets and testing them was, however, underway. .

A. Banerjee, superintendent of sadar hospital, said the electrification of the building was incomplete. “We have a low-tension connection for the male ward which has a capacity of 77 beds, but that will not be sufficient. We have already applied for a high-tension connection for the building but the process will take time,” he added.

Pradhan said the total cost incurred for the renovation of the building was estimated around Rs 7.5 crore.

The female ward, housed temporarily in Sadar hospital, will also be shifted to the hospital once the work was complete, said the sources. The Sadar hospital will then be used for administrative work, they added.

The hospital staff has, however, voiced insecurity over this arrangement. “There will be only two nurses during the night shift and that too without a phone in the complex,” said a senior nurse on duty.

Banerjee assured that adequate facilities would be provided at the earliest. “We will also be issuing cards for the visitors in a couple of days. As in Kalimpong and Kurseong hospitals, only one relative of each patient will be allowed to stay back,” he added.

The Eden Hospital is a landmark of the Queen of hills.