Bharat Sevashram Sangha is setting up a 500-bed hospital on Diamond Harbour Road, at Joka. It is likely to be functional by the end of the year.

?Once complete, it will be a model hospital. It will provide dedicated service to the needy,? Swami Brahmatmananda, secretary of the project, said on Sunday.

This will be the sixth, and the largest, hospital of the Sangha. The other hospitals are at Ghatshila, Jamshedpur and Hardwar. The organisation also runs several outdoor clinics all over the country and operates mobile medical vans to treat patients in remote areas, like the Sunderbans.

The project will be pursued in three phases, at a total estimated cost of Rs 4,858.62 lakh.

In the first phase, the outpatients? department, the polyclinic and speciality clinics for medicine, surgery and gynaecology, among others, will be set up. A diagnostic wing for pathology, a radiology ward with ultrasonography, CT scan, ECG, EEG and endoscopy facilities, a minor operating theatre and a 10-bedded daycare centre will also be built in this phase.

The second phase will see the set-up of a 200-bed general hospital, with all major departments, while it will be extended by 300 beds in the final phase. The hospital will have a 20-bed ICCU with cath lab, a 20-bed ITU, a 10-bed neonatal ICU, a blood bank and offer MRI facility.

?We hope the patient turnout will be around 2,000 per day in the outpatients? department. They will be treated at a moderate cost. We also have a plan to treat patients belonging to the economically-weaker section of the society for free,? the Swami stated.

The hospital authorities want to acquire the most modern equipment for investigation and treatment for all-round care under one roof.

?Our aim is to provide the best possible treatment in a clean and hygienic environment. We will also ensure that the patients get nourishing and nutrition-rich food during the stay in the hospital. Maintaining uniform standard for everyone and quality care is our target,? added Swamiji.

Research facilities will be provided in the new hospital. Moreover, there will two institutes to train nurses and medical technicians. Accommodation will be provided to doctors so that they can look after the patients round-the-clock.

?Several doctors residing abroad have expressed their wish to work for the hospital. A couple of NRI doctors, staying in the US, have even visited the site and offered us all sorts of help,? Swami Brahmatmananda said.