PGI to get 150-bed critical care block

Naina Mishra

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Chandigarh, December 30

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has accorded approval to a 150-bed critical care block at the Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGI) and sanctioned Rs 20 crore for the project.

The need for an exclusive block was felt during the Covid-19 pandemic, when the healthcare infrastructure got overburdened. The Centre had asked the tertiary care hospitals interested in setting up a critical care block, and the institute had consented to build the same.

To be a Self-contained facility

• Will have emergency area, ICUs, isolation wards/oxygen-supported beds, surgical unit, two labour, delivery, recovery rooms with a newborn care corner
• Equipped with medical gas pipeline systems, oxygen generation plants, air handling units and mechanism for infection prevention control

The block will come up at a cost of Rs 208 crore and the Centre will fund Rs 120 crore. The first tranche has already been sanctioned. The rest of the amount will be provided by the PGI through own resources.

Kumar Gaurav Dhawan, Deputy Director, PGI, said: “The project has been approved by the Centre and we are exploring the possibility of constructing the critical care block at the Advanced Cardiac Centre. The centre will be equipped with intensive care units (ICUs) and step-down units so that patients who stabilise can be shifted to other wards. It will be a multi-speciality centre. Separate manpower will be created for the block.”

The critical care building has been proposed under the PM Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM), aimed at preparing the country’s health infrastructure to face future pandemics such as Covid-19. The Centre has planned critical care hospital blocks in 12 government hospitals, which will also act as mentor institutions for training and capacity building.

It is the largest pan-India scheme for strengthening healthcare infrastructure, focusing on primary, secondary and tertiary care services. Thrust will be on establishing a healthcare system that responds effectively to future pandemics/disasters. The block will be self-contained and have critical, supportive and ancillary services such as Emergency area, ICUs, isolation wards/oxygen-supported beds, surgical unit, two labour, delivery, recovery rooms (LDRs) with one newborn care corner. These blocks/wings will be equipped with medical gas pipeline systems, oxygen generation plants/oxygen supply, air handling units and mechanism for infection prevention control.