Patna: Patna Medical College Hospital (PMCH) will be developed into 1,700-bed "world-class" hospital by the end of 2021, health minister Mangal Pandey said at Patna Medical College's 93rd foundation day celebrations on Sunday.
An eight-member committee formed by the health department is touring top hospitals of the country - such as Medanta, Max Hospital, Fortis Escorts and Kokilaben Hospital - to understand their interior design and incorporate the ideas into a detailed project report (DPR) for PMCH.
The DPR for upgrading PMCH to "international standards" will be ready by end-March. The hospital will have 1,700 beds by the end of the first phase of the upgrade and the bed capacity will later be raised to 5,000.
The estimated expenditure on the project is Rs 1,100 crore.
Pandey was the guest of honour at Sunday's event, and deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi was the chief guest. Many doctors, who are Patna Medical College alumni and are now settled in US, UK and other foreign countries, attended the event. PMCH alumni association president Dr Satyajeet Kumar Singh, alumni association members Dr Sachchidanand Kumar, Dr D.K. Choudhary, neuro-physician Dr Gopal Prasad Sinha, surgeon A.A. Hai, Aryabhatta Knowledge University vice-chancellor Dr Arun Kumar Agarwal and Patna Medical College principal Dr Vijay Kumar Gupta were also present.
Pandey said the government will build an elevated road from Gandhi Maidan to PMCH. "Patients now have to face a lot of hassle reaching PMCH owing to traffic snarls on Ashok Rajpath. The elevated road from Gandhi Maidan to PMCH will be beneficial for patients. Three entry points are being made in the Ganga pathway plan to help people enter PMCH," he added.
He said steps were being taken to enhance security at PMCH for doctors and patients. "While a colonel-rank officer has been posted as the chief security officer, we will soon recruit a deputy superintendent of police (DSP)-rank officer in the security officer's post," said Pandey.
He said directions had been issued to the PMCH administration to go for local-level purchase to meet the drug crisis. The health department was revising the essential drugs list and the new list will be ready within a week, he said, and Bihar Medical Services and Infrastructure Corporation Limited has been given a list of instruments to be bought during the repair of the non-functional machines.
Modi asked Pandey to fill up vacancies of doctors and paramedic staff in the next 6-8 months. "Eight new medical colleges will be opened in the state, thanks to the state and central government's initiatives," Modi said.
He also shared that he wanted to become a doctor but couldn't get admission in the medical college on the basis of pre-university (Plus Two) marks. Many alumni pitched for autonomous status for PMCH.
