Chandigarh: PGI’s mother-child centre gets going on April 30

The Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) would officially open two 300-bed state-of-the-art facilities — Advanced Neuroscience Centre and Mother and Child Care Centre — on April 30, director Dr Vivel Lal said on Friday. The OPD services in the neuroscience centre began on April 20.

Addressing a press conference in Kairon block, Dr Lal informed that the inauguration would be performed by Union minister of health and family welfare JP Nadda during PGIMER’s 39th convocation event, where 550 students would be awarded degrees. Nadda will also lay the foundation stone for a critical care service and extension block of the Advanced Eye Centre, he said.

The inauguration of the two centres will reduce the waiting period for surgeries and admissions besides improving the services, he said. Dr Lal, who also heads the neurology department, said the number of operation theatres in the Advanced Neuroscience Centre would triple with the establishment of a separate neuroanaesthesia department. Though OPD services started in the advanced centre five days ago, the inpatient service is set to start by this year’s end as acquiring the CT scan and MRI machines would take some time, he said.

Annually, the neurology and neurosurgery department records over 1.2-lakh patient footfall in the OPD and over 20,000 admissions. The obstetrics and gynaecology wing has over 1.45-lakh patient footfall in the OPD.

A paediatrician said the emergency wing of the Advanced Paediatric Centre has thrice the number of patients than sanctioned beds. Almost half the patients in emergency are newborns. With newborn emergency shifting to the new building, the patient load will ease as every infant is expected to be assigned one bed each. Currently, two or more children are sometimes assigned one bed.

Other than these two key facilities, the institute will open its medical museum, featuring the legacy of its founding fathers. Their photos and instruments will be put on display. Referring to PGI’s founding director, Dr Santokh Singh Anand, who served in office from 1963 to 1969, Dr Lal said there would be acknowledgement of what instrument he (Prof Anand) used.