362-bed trauma block at Sanjay Gandhi Hospital to be opened this month

Delhi’s health minister Pankaj Singh said on Tuesday that all pending clearances, including approvals from the fire safety and public works departments, have now been obtained, paving the way for the facility’s opening to the public

Nearly six years after its foundation stone was laid, the 362-bed trauma block at Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital in Mangolpuri is set to be inaugurated this month.

The foundation stone for the project was laid in September 2019 by then CM Arvind Kejriwal. Built at a cost of ₹117.78 crore, the block will now finally be operational. (PTI)

Delhi’s health minister Pankaj Singh said on Tuesday that all pending clearances, including approvals from the fire safety and public works departments, have now been obtained, paving the way for the facility’s opening to the public.

“The trauma centre block at Sanjay Gandhi Hospital could not be made operational earlier because around 20% work remained pending. Our inspections in recent months revealed fire safety and infrastructure gaps, which delayed approvals. Now that all pending work has been completed by the PWD and necessary changes carried out, both the fire department and PWD have given their nod. The hospital will be inaugurated this month,” the minister said.

In May this year, chief minister Rekha Gupta had announced that the trauma block would open on August 1, following her visit to the hospital. The foundation stone for the project was laid in September 2019 by then CM Arvind Kejriwal. Built at a cost of ₹117.78 crore, the block will now finally be operational.

Singh added that pending projects at other hospitals, including the new block of Guru Gobind Singh Hospital in Raghubir Nagar and the mother-and-child block at Acharya Shree Bhikshu Hospital, are also being expedited. “Officials have been directed to complete the remaining work at these hospitals at full speed. We are planning to formally inaugurate them in the coming months,” the minister said.

All three projects are part of expansions within existing hospital campuses. Officials from the health department said these blocks, once operational, will together add about 1,100 beds to the city’s healthcare capacity.

Work at these hospitals had stalled after no budget was sanctioned in 2023–24 for their completion. Funds were later allocated under the 2025 budget to resume the projects.

Presenting the Delhi Budget 2025 earlier this year, the CM noted that 24 hospital projects remain pending across the city — including seven intensive care hospitals, four new hospitals and the expansion of 13 existing ones. Once completed, these projects are expected to add 16,186 beds to Delhi’s healthcare system.