KOCHI: After a wait of more than a year, the proposal for a floating hospital for the Goshree Islands has finally got the go-ahead from the State Government. The hospital, set up on a boat, will be fully equipped with facilities, including an intensive care unit, laboratories and a pharmacy.The project, expected to be completed by the year-end, will be a huge step towards providing medical services to the residents of far-flung Goshree Islands.The floating hospital will connect seven Goshree Islands on a circular basis. Apart from consultations, the hospital has facilities for conducting minor surgeries. The Union Bank has come forward to set up an ATM on the floating hospital.The tender for the boat will be floated in March and the last date for its submission will be mid-April. The project is expected to cost `65 lakh. Funds will be allotted from the MP Funds of Union Minister K V Thomas for the year 2012-13. The construction of the boats is expected to take six months,” said District Collector P I Sheik Pareeth.The highlight of the floating hospital is that it can be anchored without a jetty. The hospital will be equipped with a telescopic floating jetty which will help it connect with the land in areas which do not have a permanent jetty, thereby bringing down the time delay and expense in constructing permanent jetties on islands which do not have one.The project has been lagging behind for the past one year owing to the paucity of funds.The funds were supposed to come from MPLADS of K V Thomas but there was a dearth of funds to implement the project this financial year. The hospital will cost Rs 65 lakh and hence it has been decided to implement it using the 2012-13 funds.
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