Chandigarh: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday rolled out a major healthcare expansion at PGIMER, commissioning state-of-the-art specialised medical facilities and announcing official approval for a new MBBS college under the institute. Admissions are expected to begin soon.“Soon, admissions will begin here too, giving talented youth the opportunity to study at such a premier institution. The nation will gain a large number of excellent doctors,” the Prime Minister said.Virtually inaugurating two new centres and a critical care block, Modi said, “Today, advanced healthcare facilities at Chandigarh PGI are being expanded. The Advanced Neurosciences Centre, Advanced Mother and Child Centre and Critical Care Hospital Block will provide better treatment to lakhs of people.”Referring to his previous visit to the institute, the Prime Minister expressed satisfaction over its progress.“I remember attending the PGI convocation in 2015. I am glad that today I am virtually meeting many old colleagues there again. In this decade, PGI’s capacity has expanded greatly. I appreciate the management, professors and young doctors of PGI, Chandigarh and extend my best wishes to them,” he said.Addressing a large gathering virtually, Modi recalled his years in Chandigarh. “When I lived in Chandigarh, I often had to visit PGI because colleagues or their family members, whether from Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh or Haryana, would come here for treatment. It was natural for me to visit them. That is why I know how important PGI has been in meeting the healthcare needs of people across this region,” he said.Later, Union health and family welfare minister J P Nadda inspected the Advanced Neurosciences Centre and the Advanced Mother and Child Centre. He was briefed about colour-coded rooms designed to help semi-literate patients identify wards easily and apprised of the state-of-the-art facilities at the centres.BOXNew centres to start operations in phases–Both the 300-bed Advanced Neurosciences Centre and the Advanced Mother and Child Centre are equipped with modern facilities.–Admissions to the Mother and Child Centre will begin in a phased manner–Initially, low-risk cases will be shifted to the new facility, with more complex surgeries being taken up gradually–Operation theatres will undergo fumigation and other preparatory procedures before surgeries begin–Sources said it may take about a fortnight for the centre to become fully operational for admissionsPacked auditoriumBhargava Auditorium, where the Prime Minister’s inauguration ceremony was telecast live, was packed with faculty members and resident doctors. Security barricades were put up in the Sector 11 area, with access restricted to those heading towards PGI. However, patients entering the institute did not face any inconvenience.
