Bengaluru: Nearly seven years after its construction began, the 10-storey ‘Q-block’ of the state-run Victoria Hospital will be inaugurated on May 2. The facility will add 629 beds to the hospital’s current capacity of 1,000.Victoria Hospital is one of the most visited public health facilities in Karnataka, with an outpatient department (OPD) footfall of 700-1,000 a day. The new block is expected to reduce waiting time for OPD patients, said medical education minister Sharan Prakash Patil.“The first five floors will house general wards, including surgery, orthopaedics, and medicine departments. The next two floors will function as special wards and operation theatres, with one floor designated for VVIPs. Two floors will be reserved for the surgical complex, which will have eight OTs, and a helipad on the terrace is expected to be functional in the future,” said Dr Kavya ST, director-cum-dean of Bangalore Medical College & Research Institute (BMCRI), with which Victoria Hospital is affiliated.According to sources, the 10-storey structure was originally planned to accommodate 1,000 beds. But with space of two floors allocated for a helipad, the number of beds was reduced. Patil recently directed authorities to convert one floor into an ICU complex. Hospital authorities said they were yet to decide how to accommodate ICU beds without compromising other capacities.The initial cost estimate of Rs 68 crore for the building also rose to Rs 90 crore over the years. Dr Deepak S, medical superintendent of Victoria Hospital, said tenders for procurement of beds and equipment have been floated. “Recruitment of nurses, Group D staff, HR personnel and other staff is ongoing. Equipment for two floors has already arrived, and the remaining processes are in progress,” he said, adding that the orthopaedics department from the old block would be shifted to the new building.
