Health Ministry directs PGI Chandigarh Director to expedite completion of Satellite Centres
Chandigarh: Taking cognizance of the delay in the completion of PGI’s satellite centres in Una and Ferozepur, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has issued a directive to the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGI) Chandigarh director to ensure regular inspections and monitoring to accelerate the process.
This directive came from the latest meeting of the standing finance committee held in New Delhi.
The committee emphasized that to ensure cooperation and efficiency of the work process, the tenders for civil works and medical services need to be combined. Currently, these services are managed separately by the institute and this is creating delays in the completion of the work. The construction of PGI satellite centres in Ferozepur and Una was initially slated for completion by 2021. However, progress has been slow, and in 2022, the parliamentary committee of the Rajya Sabha criticized PGI for the delays, reports Times of India.
In February, the foundation stone for the Ferozepur satellite centre was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually. This centre had an allocated budget of Rs 490.54 crores and it will feature 100 beds, including 30 for intensive care and high-dependency units. It will house 10 clinical speciality departments, five support departments, and multiple operation theatres. Additionally, the building will be a platinum-rated green hospital, utilizing modern construction techniques to ensure sustainability.
The Una satellite centre is supposed to be a 300-bed hospital with the future plans of turning it into a medical college. Spread over 38 acres and costing Rs 491 crores, the facility will include multispeciality outpatient departments (OPDs), an intensive care unit (ICU), a blood bank, modular operation theatres, and consultant rooms. The campus will also house residential units for staff, a shopping complex, and a guest house for visiting faculty, reports the Daily.
PGI received the land for the Una project in 2018, and the foundation stone was laid in 2019. Despite these early steps, construction has lagged, prompting the recent directives to accelerate progress. The health ministry's insistence on regular inspections and combined tenders aims to eliminate bottlenecks and ensure the timely completion of these critical healthcare facilities.
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