UT plans hospital on par with AIIMS

The UT Administration has planned to set up a 2,000-bed regional hospital on the pattern of AIIMS in the city to cater to the residents of the tricity.

Punjab Governor and UT Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria today chaired a high-level meeting to discuss the proposal for the hospital.

The meeting discussed about strengthening the existing healthcare infrastructure and decongesting the present government hospitals of the city. The city hospitals not only cater to the local residents but also patients from the states of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand.

Dr Suman Singh, Director, Health Services, gave a brief presentation on the health infrastructure, existing bed strength, current challenges in healthcare and the proposal to build a new hospital in the city.

The state of the art healthcare facility - Regional Medical Hub - will prioritise patient-centered care, foster innovation, ensure equitable access to advanced medical services and set a benchmark for excellence in the regional healthcare landscape.

Kataria said facilities in satellite hospitals should be on a par with the district hospital and population living on the city periphery may also be considered while planning the new hospital. Discussions were also held on suitable sites for the project.

He said there was a need to promote Chandigarh as a quality healthcare destination for medical tourism, and a centre of excellence for training and medical education.

It was also discussed that the proposed health infrastructure should provide universal healthcare, deliver high-quality, patient-centric care across a wide range of specialities. The use of digital health solutions to enhance diagnosis and treatment was strongly recommended

Dr VK Paul, Member, NITI Aayog, observed that the need to enhance healthcare services in Chandigarh was obvious and the proposal for a new health facility may also be linked with the vision of Viksit Bharat-2047. The new hospital should be built as a world-class centre of excellence.