E-Paper
Centre greenlights ₹208 crore critical care block at PGIMER
The centre has sanctioned ₹120 crore for the project, while PGIMER will contribute the remaining ₹88 crore from its annual budget. With the country reeling under shortage of ICU beds during the second wave of the Covid pandemic, the Centre had planned setting up critical care blocks in 12 central institute hospitals under PM-ABHIM.
The Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) is all set to get a 150-bed critical care block as the Centre has approved the ₹208-crore project under the Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM).
The centre has sanctioned ₹120 crore for the project, while PGIMER will contribute the remaining ₹88 crore from its annual budget. With the country reeling under shortage of ICU beds during the second wave of the Covid pandemic, the Centre had planned setting up critical care blocks in 12 central institute hospitals under PM-ABHIM.
PGIMER deputy director administration (DDA) and official spokesperson Kumar Gaurav Dhawan said, “We had initially proposed the block for patients with respiratory illnesses, but with Covid cases ebbing, all patients requiring critical care can be admitted at the centre.”
“Besides ICU beds, the block will also have general wards. At present, we are working to identify some sites for the construction of the building on the institute premises. We are planning to make the block in or around the institute’s cardiac centre. Construction is expected to begin in 2023,” Dhawan said, adding that PGIMER has already received ₹ 20 crore for the block.
As per Centre’s plan, the critical care blocks will include an emergency area and ICU, isolation wards, operation theatres, and labour, delivery and recovery rooms (LDRs) with a newborn care corner. These blocks would have a medical gas pipeline system, oxygen generation plants, oxygen supply, air handling units (AHUs) and mechanism for infection prevention and control.
During the second wave of the pandemic, PGI had dedicated 250 critical beds for Covid patients, along with the entire Nehru Extension Block.
