The unsafe ramp at MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Berhampur. Picture by Gopal Krishna Reddy

Berhampur June 26: The public works department has taken up initiatives to build a new ramp of the three-storey indoor ward building of MKCG Medical College and Hospital here as the existing one has been declared unsafe.

“Construction of the new ramp will start within a fortnight. Contract has been awarded and the construction will be over within six months by January next year,” said Dipak Kumar Panigrahi, assistant engineer (building), Berhampur sub-division of the department.

The existing indoor ward building accommodates 1,081 beds for patients of 21 departments, about 200 doctors, 400 nurses and Class IV employees, apart from the patients’ attendants. The ramp, which was constructed more than 40 years ago, has also remained in precarious condition at several places.

“We have taken urgent steps to build a new ramp in the indoor ward building to avert a mishap. Moreover, construction of an eight-storey building is coming up and it may take few years to shift the infrastructure from the present building to the new one. So, we have decided to construct a new ramp. The present ramp is facilitating the patients to move to the respective wards on stretchers and we should not take a risk,” said Panigrahi.

“We will build the new ramp to the left side of the indoor ward building and the work will be over within six months. The present ramp is on the right side and building of the new ramp will not take a toll on the patients. After completion of the new ramp, we will dismantle the old ramp,” he said.

The project’s estimated cost is Rs 20 lakh, he said.