A painful trudge up the stairs to the reception? A teacher-doctor waits for hours for his turn to give a lecture in the lone theatre available? A rickety outdoor department, fit to be a pigsty, cramped with patients?

The unmistakable features of the top state-run hospitals in the city will, hopefully, become things of the past, as the government has unveiled plans for a major uplift of the health sector.

The plans include installation of modern technology, special buildings and wards, and beautification drives. The first phase of the multi-crore project will cover RG Kar, SSKM and NRS hospitals.

Director of medical education C.R. Maiti told Metro that the project would be executed as fast as possible. ?We have prepared a list of priorities and will accordingly take up the projects at various hospitals. Work has already begun.?

Among the proposed add-ons are an academic building and four special lecture theatres at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.

?The hospital does not have an outdoor department big enough for the daily turnout of patients. Besides, it is on the fourth floor, which also houses the reception. We have proposed to build a complex, housing both the outdoor department and the reception, on the first floor,? said Gautam Mukherjee, secretary of the Association of Health Service Doctors (AHSD).

At SSKM Hospital, the authorities are considering setting up a special paediatric intensive-care unit, equipped with ventilator and a recovery section.

?No state-run hospital has a ward like what we have planned,? said superintendent Santanu Tripathi.

The revamp plan for the hospital also features five operating theatres on the third floor of the main building.

?The western side of the building is going through a major revamp, to be followed by the eastern side. Once we are through, the hospital will have the most spacious wards in town,? Tripathi added.

At NRS Medical College and Hospital, efforts are on to instal endoscopy and laparoscopy machines and modern surgical equipment.

The authorities are also planning to renovate the huge lake on the compound and surround it with rest rooms and cafeterias.

As part of the revamp plan, resident medical officers of various hospitals will have quarters on the premises.

nHowrah health revamp for Rs 10 crore