The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Patna, boasts of three state-of-the-art modular operating theatres.

The facilities have been developed at a cost of Rs 1 crore. None of the state-run hospitals have the facility yet. Also, the facility was developed at much less than what the state government is going to incur in setting up modular operating theatres (OTs) in six of the medical college and hospitals and district hospitals.

Sources said the health department is spending Rs 8.75 crore to develop modular OTs at Patna Medical College and Hospital, Nalanda Medical College and Hospital, Anugrah Narayan Magadh Medical College and Hospital, Gaya, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College and Hospital, Bhagalpur, Darbhanga Medical College and Hospital and Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital, Muzaffarpur. The health department is also spending Rs 27 crore to develop modular OTs in 36 sadar (district) hospitals.

AIIMS Patna director Dr G.K. Singh said: 'Our modular OT has laminar airflow system, which helps keep the OT bacteria-free. Special cameras are attached to the machine to help make a video of the surgery. MBBS students sitting in another room can view the entire surgery on their computer screens.'

Talking about other features of the modular OT, Singh said: 'There are electronic panels inside the modular OT, which can show the actual temperature and humidity in the OT. All this information is displayed on the electronic panel. If the temperature inside the modular OT is not according to norm, the electronic panel helps maintain the temperature as well.'

Singh said even the modular OT's walls have been developed in a way that not much dust settles down there.

'We have used anti-bacterial paint on the walls to protect it from bacteria. Even the lights in our modular OT are multi-focal length lights, which do not form shadows on the operating table during surgery. This facility has been added to prevent the surgeon's attention from deviating during surgery,' Singh said.

AIIMS-Patna has also bought a plasma sterilisation machine worth around Rs 30 lakh to help sterilise surgical equipment within five minutes. It is used for fastest and accurate sterilisation. The state-run medical college hospitals don't have this machine,' Singh said.