Sassoon : A healthy relationship
It had been Prataprao Godse’s wish to build a hospital for the poor and needy. But, since the Dagdusheth Halwai Ganpati Trust was already engaged in a multitude of social activities, managing a hospital would not have been feasible. What, then, was the alternative to building a hospital? It was to enter into a healthy relationship with the State Government-managed Sassoon General Hospital, of course.
The Trust authorities held a meeting with Sassoon dean Dr Ajay Chandanwale and expressed willingness to provide dry ration for the patients, renovate the hospital kitchen, and provide meals to relatives of patients admitted in the Sassoon Hospital at subsidized rates. The government spends 30-35 lakh rupees every month on the rations; the Trust’s helping hand will lead to that much reduction in government spending.
The Trust has provided a chapatti-making machine to the hospital that can make 1000 chapatis in an hour. The hospital has also been provided with a dish washer, 36 trolleys to convey meals to the patients across the hospital’s several wards, and fifteen Fowler Beds – each costing Rs 22,000.
That was not enough done for the around 1400 in-patients the hospital caters to, felt the Trust. It wants to do much more! The Trust now wants to build a night shelter for relatives of the in-patients; the shelter will be built on a 3,000 square feet area within the hospital premises and will have television and washroom facilities. That work is already underway. That’s not all. The Trust wants to renovate five pediatric and women’s wards. Two ambulances are also to be donated which will provide free service to patients within the municipal corporation limits.
