The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : New-look GH to open on July 1

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jun 09, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

New-look GH to open on July 1

Ramya Kannan

State-of-the-art structure houses modern diagnostic and treatment equipment

Go-ahead for the project was given in March 2001
Six-floor building constructed by PWD at a cost of Rs. 104 crores
Will have total bed strength of 1,600

Every floor to have close circuit camera

LANDMARK: The new blocks of the Government General Hospital in the city. — Photo: V. Ganesan

CHENNAI: The `Twin Towers' at the Government General Hospital, about four years in the making, will be dedicated to the people by Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on July 1, according to health department officials.

The go-ahead to construct a state-of-the-art structure for housing modern diagnostic and treatment equipment and increasing the bed strength was given in March 2001.

The six-floor building, with a plinth area of over 32,000 sq m, was constructed by the Public Works Department at a total cost of Rs. 104 crores.

The amount was mobilised partly through a HUDCO loan, substantiated with a contribution from the Tamil Nadu Government.

Roof collapse

The decision to demolish the old building and build a modern structure in its place was prompted by the collapse of a roof/floor in the hospital's main building in 2000.

It was then decided to use the opportunity to increase the number of beds in the new structure by about 600.

Scheduled to be completed within 18 months, the project was delayed for about two-and-half years for various reasons.

The Twin Towers will now house 16 operation theatres, speciality, general and pay wards. Of a total bed strength of 1,600, a little over 200 will be part of the pay-ward structure, with operation and treatment facilities at rates much lower than the corporate health sector, according to sources.

This will bring the total bed strength in the hospital to 3,629, making it the largest Government Hospital in the State.

Equipment in the new building conforms to international standards and the latest technology. In addition, air conditioning facility has been provided in the wards.

Every floor will have a close circuit camera to monitor movement and the entire system, computerised, sources said.

At present, the General Hospital has the second largest number of Outpatient and Inpatient admissions in the State after the Government Rajaji Hospital, Madurai.

In 2004, over 22,21,943 patients were treated in the OP ward, 6,96,73 were admitted as inpatients and 41,977 surgeries performed.

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