The Sheth Vadilal Sarabhai (VS) General Hospital and Sheth Chinai Maternity Hospital Board of Management presented the annual budget of Rs 189 crore for the year 2023–2024 on Wednesday, with additions to the budget from the Medical Superintendent.
The current year’s budget for 2022-2023 has been enhanced from last year’s Rs 179 crore to Rs 189 crore. Following the hospital’s registration as a Diplomate of National Board facility, the budget has made a provision of Rs 4 crore for health facilities for low-income patients. This includes salaries for 24 teachers in 12 faculties at a rate of Rs 1.10 lakh each, as well as a stipend of Rs 30,000 for first-year medical students.
A further 50 lakh has been allocated for the digitization of all establishment data and medical-legal cases. An additional Rs 1.1 crore has been aside for the rehabilitation, repair, and retrofitting of existing structures. The AMC has been accused of budgetary infractions by the board of management in the interim.
“We have repeatedly stressed since years, that there is an urgent need to ensure that AMC auditors be required to take final responsibility for auditing of VSH funds that are currently being outsourced to private agencies.The hospital administration is requested to provide us complete details of outdoor and indoor patients treated at Chinai Maternity and Sarabhai Hospitals during 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 December,” the statement issued by Board members Rupa Chinai among three others stated.
The Sheth Maneklal Jethabhai Library will have a budget of Rs 15.83 crore for the fiscal year 2023–2024, according to the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation. A total budget of Rs 15.83 crore, including Rs 80 lakh for new plans, was granted for the Sheth Maneklal Jethabhai Library for the current year 2023–24, according to their press release. Every day, about 2,000 readers use the library.
A three-day literary festival, an event commemorating the centennial of the poet “Shunya” Palanpuri’s birth, programmes on Ahmedabad’s history and heritage, the lives and careers of several Gujarati authors, literature from the “Gujarati diaspora,” and literary programmes for students with disabilities will also be held. The Corporation approved Rs 21 lakh for these events.
A budget of about Rs 5 lakh has been granted to draw in local and foreign visitors, newcomers to the area, students, etc., and acquaint them with the library’s operations and services.
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