With winter approaching, a 12-storey, fully air-conditioned accommodation facility for attendants of patients at King George’s Medical University (KGMU), with a capacity to house up to 1,200 people, is expected to be ready within a month, officials said.
Located near the Shatabdi Phase-1 building, the facility aims to provide affordable accommodation to attendants accompanying patients from different districts of Uttar Pradesh and other states.
KGMU spokesperson Prof KK Singh said construction and finishing work had been completed, while elevator installation and furnishing were expected to be completed within a month.
KGMU can cater to 4,500 patients at a time but currently has only 418 beds across its shelter homes, accounting for 9.29% of its total capacity, a recent Hindustan Times visit found.
The dormitory-style facility will have toilets, drinking water and seating arrangements on each floor. Multiple canteens will also serve food at subsidised rates, Singh said, adding that accommodation would be available at nominal charges to make it affordable for economically weaker families.
Currently, many attendants depend on temporary shelters, sleep in the open on the campus or arrange private accommodation outside, adding to the financial burden of families already dealing with medical expenses.
{{/usCountry}}Currently, many attendants depend on temporary shelters, sleep in the open on the campus or arrange private accommodation outside, adding to the financial burden of families already dealing with medical expenses.
{{/usCountry}}Security personnel have been instructed to ensure that attendants do not sleep in the open on the campus, Singh said.
Officials, however, said some attendants from rural areas prefer staying outside the wards where their patients are admitted rather than using shelter homes. The new facility is expected to address at least part of KGMU’s long-standing accommodation problem.