GMC NAGPUR GMC beds may rise to 2600

 Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) may soon see a huge jump in bed strength and constituted as a group on the lines of J J Group of Hospitals in Mumbai.

With financial support coming in from the union government under Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojna (PMMSY) and some support from the state government, GMC will not just get better infrastructure but also see a jump in bed strength from 1400 to about 2600.

The GMCH acting dean Dr A Niswade told TOI that the college would be increasing the bed strength of the Super Specialty Hospital (SSH) by 300 and of GMCH itself by another 400. The beds in SSH will however become functional only with the new sanctioned departments like urology, neurology and the proposed kidney transplant unit becoming functional. The SSH already has 180 beds that do not include 80 sanctioned beds for urology and neurology.

Under the PMSSY the medical college is getting a trauma centre which would add 60 beds to the existing strength. "We are also adding three more intensive care units (ICUs) in the main hospital itself in the form of three special wards of 30 beds each. I plan to start the obstetrics and gynaecology ICU within next 5-6 days next to the same department's OPD," said Dr Niswade.

Since the state government had already announced the merger of Dr Ambedkar Hospital in north Nagpur with GMCH, the 500 beds planned for the hospital will also be attached to the college. "It is being looked upon as a post graduate institute. In fact, if properly developed it can become a better hospital than GMCH," stated Dr Niswade. The hospital though hasn't started any construction work as yet but it has been allocated Rs 35 crore for the purpose.

It is always a question how many of these proposals would actually see the light of the day. A majority of GMCH teachers are still averse to the idea of attaching Dr Ambedkar Hospital to the college for various reasons including the distance and issue of coordination of work. It will be long before the GMCH staff agrees to serve patients in this hospital.