Gujarat health facilities undergo major clean-up, clearing more than 5.14 lakh unusable items
Gandhinagar, July 7
More than 5.14 lakh unusable items were disposed of from government health facilities across Gujarat during the week-long "Namo Swachhta Abhiyan", freeing up nearly 1,806 rooms for future use and improving space availability for patient services, according to figures released by the state government at the conclusion of the campaign.
The drive, held from July 1 to 7, covered more than 12,000 government health institutions, ranging from sub-centres to medical colleges and hospitals.
During the campaign, officials identified a total of 5,72,563 unusable items, of which 5,14,456 were disposed of on site.
Alongside the disposal exercise, authorities completed repairs on approximately 41,681 items, including wooden and iron furniture, ambulances, government vehicles, electronic and IT equipment, and medical devices, allowing them to be returned to service rather than discarded.
On the seventh and final day of the campaign, the state carried out another round of intensive cleaning across all government health institutions.
According to official figures, 22,667 unusable items were identified on the final day alone, while 15,530 were disposed of on site, clearing around 129 additional rooms.
The government said these rooms would be utilised in the future to improve patient facilities. The campaign also focused on broader maintenance and safety measures within hospital premises.
Authorities removed scrap, junk and other unusable materials, carried out extensive cleaning of hospital buildings and campuses, ensured the availability of safe drinking water, and undertook necessary repairs to water supply pipelines.
Other works completed during the drive included fire and electrical safety checks, repairs to hospital furniture, minor civil works and measures related to infection prevention and control, to improve the overall condition and safety of public health facilities.
The statewide campaign was inaugurated at the GMERS Auditorium in Gandhinagar under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and in the presence of Health Minister Praful Pansheriya.
"The initiative was conducted simultaneously across the state's public healthcare network as part of an effort to improve cleanliness, enhance the use of available infrastructure and strengthen patient care facilities," officials added.
— IANS
Reader Comments
I appreciate the effort, but why did it take a special campaign to do this?
Basic cleanliness and maintenance should be routine in government hospitals.
Also, disposing of 5.14 lakh items suggests years of neglect in procurement and inventory management.
Let's see if they maintain this momentum after the publicity dies down.
As someone who volunteers in rural health camps in Gujarat, this is massive!
Those 1,806 cleared rooms could become OPD spaces, storage for medicines, or even waiting areas for patients' families.
The fire and electrical safety checks are especially important in Indian summers.
Hope other states learn from this model. 👍
Very nice initiative!
But I'm wondering - why were there 5.72 lakh unusable items in the first place?
This points to poor procurement planning and lack of accountability.
Also, how many of those 41,681 repaired items will actually be used?
Let's have some transparency about what was discarded - are we talking broken beds or lifesaving equipment?
Good start, but deeper reforms needed. 🏥
As a nurse in a government hospital, I can tell you the junk problem is real.
J James A This is impressive! Covering 12,000 institutions in one week is organizational excellence. The dual approach of disposal and repair is smart economics. Hope they also improved infection control - that's critical in Indian hospitals. Would love to see before/after photos from different districts. We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.