In a major boost to the public health network in the district, the State government has accorded administrative sanction of ₹36.42 crore for establishing a new Cardiology-Cardiothoracic block at the Government Medical College Hospital here.
An announcement to this effect was made by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan while inaugurating a slew of projects at the hospital through videoconferencing on Tuesday. The new block, to be constructed with financial assistance from the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), is envisaged as a 200-bed facility.
On the occasion, the Chief Minister also unveiled five new projects worth ₹42.69 crore at the hospital, besides launching the construction work on two projects with a cumulative outlay of ₹137.45 crore.
The projects unveiled included new wards and intensive care units at the Emergency department (₹16.6 crore); Negative pressure ICU (₹1 crore); hostel for female medical students (₹12.24 crore); resident quarters for postgraduate students (₹12.10 crore) and new toilet complex (₹75 lakh).
Surgical block
Construction work on a new surgical block and a medical surgical store too have begun. The eight-storey surgical block, to be constructed at ₹134.45 crore, is envisaged as a 400-bed facility with 14 modern operation theatres, 54 ICU beds and full-fledged radiology suit with CT and MRI scan facilities.
The first phase of the project, the fund for which will be allocated through the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board, is expected to be completed in the next couple of years. The total cost of the project is estimated to be ₹564 crore
The proposed medical and surgical store, to be set up at ₹3 crore, will have modern facilities such as walk-in cooler to store medicines and other materials.
‘Many projects in 4 years’
Delivering the presidential address, Health Minister K.K. Shylaja said a wide range of development works had been completed at the hospital in the past four years.
K. Suresh Kurup, MLA, District Collector M. Anjana, MCH Superintendent T.K. Jayakumar and others spoke.
With 1,800 beds, 28 operation theatres and 180 ICUs, Kottayam MCH is the biggest hospital in the central Travancore region.
