The plot where the hospital would come up. Picture by Ranjeet Kumar Dey

Residents would soon be able to avail world-class facilities at a government hospital.

The International Finance Corporation (IFC), which has tie-ups with health hubs such as Max, Apollo, Medanta and others, would provide financial assistance to a private player to develop a super-speciality hospital on the premises of Jaiprabha Hospital, a government-run health institute at Kankerbagh.

The hospital would spread across seven acres.

Deepak Kumar, principal secretary, health, told The Telegraph on Wednesday: ”The Infrastructure Development Authority, which runs under the industries department, would issue tenders regarding the project to come up on the Jaiprabha Hospital campus. The health department has to give clearance to the tender. IFC is a consultant of the Infrastructure Development Authority. It was decided in an IDA meeting held two months ago that IFC’s help would be taken to develop the super-speciality hospital. The corporation would convince big private hospitals to help and it would provide financial assistance,” said Deepak.

A senior official of the health department said very soon the department would send a proposal to the cabinet for getting its approval for setting up the super-speciality hospital on the Jaiprabha Hospital campus on a design-build-finance-operate basis.

“We would send the proposal to the cabinet within next two or three days,” added the official.

In a design-build-finance-operate model, the contract is awarded to a private player for the design, construction and full or partial financing of a facility. Responsibility for long-term maintenance and operation of the facility remains with the project sponsor.

Experts are all praise for the health department’s initiative. “The decision is good but the state government should also try to improve the facilities of the government hospitals in the state. Government hospitals need to be upgraded. Only private hospitals cannot fulfil the needs of each and every resident. The state should have both private and government hospitals,” said Dr Ajay Kumar, general secretary, Bihar Health Services Association.