With the new super-speciality block at the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital nearing completion, Health Minister C. Vijaya Baskar inspected the structure on Saturday and instructed officials to complete the project quickly.
The ground plus six-floor structure will house 12 speciality medical and surgical departments of the hospital, attached to the K.A.P. Viswanatham Government Medical College. The 400-bed block would have the departments of cardiology and cardiothoracic surgery, neurology, neurosurgery, nephrology, urology, plastic surgery, paediatric surgery, medical and surgical gastroenterology, medical and surgical oncology. The project was sanctioned by the State government at an estimate of Rs. 100 crore. Of this, Rs. 60 crore would be spent for the new building with a built-up area of 32,475 square feet. The remaining Rs. 40 crore would be utilised for procuring medical equipment. Transplant procedures and trauma care would get a boost once the super-speciality block was commissioned.
Although the 20-month contract for completion of the new block runs till May 2014, already 90 per cent of the civil works were said to have been completed and the block was expected to be commissioned ahead of the deadline.
Going through the new building along with Public Works Department engineers and health officials, Mr. Vijaya Baskar asked the officials to expedite the construction and installation works. He instructed the engineers to make the operation theatre ensure zero infection rate facility.
Accompanied by Khadi and Village Industries Minister T.P. Poonachi, Government Chief Whip R. Manoharan, Rajya Sabha member T. Rathinaval and Collector Jayashree Muralidharan, Mr. Vijaya Baskar inspected the outpatient department, intensive care unit, and triage ward at the hospital.
PUDUKOTTAI: The Minister held discussions with his department officials of Pudukottai and Thanjavur districts here on Saturday.
Dr. Baskar said the Chief Minister had accorded priority to Health Department. R. Kuzhandaisamy, Director of Public Health; Sankaranathan, Director, Medical Services; and Kanagasabai, Director of Medical Education, participated in the meeting.
