THOOTHUKUDI: The state government has made a decision to scale down the multi-speciality hospital, being built at the Third Mile campus of the Thoothukudi Medical College Hospital (TKMCH), into a super speciality hospital dedicated to maternity and child care, even though the construction works for the facility are on the verge of completion, according to a top official from the Directorate of Medical Education (DME).
The DME has decided to dedicate the new facility to three departments -- Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Paediatric Medicine, and Paediatric Surgery. The budget for the Rs 136-crore project has now been revised to Rs 110 crore, according to Minister for Social Welfare and Women Empowerment Geetha Jeevan.
Located along the Palayamkottai Road (Tamil Salai), the TKMCH witnesses a patient footfall, both inpatient and outpatient, of nearly 1,000 every day. To provide a comprehensive medical treatment and cater to the increasing population of the port city, the state government had planned the construction of a 650-bedded multi-speciality hospital with seven floors at the college campus, located on the same road in Third Mile, four kilometres away from the hospital building. The project has been carried out with a 60:40 share in funding between the union and state governments.
A top official from the DME confirmed that the multi-speciality hospital has been converted to a super speciality hospital, following a series of discussions. The works at the new facility would be customised accordingly, and are likely to be completed within two months, said the official.
A TKMCH doctor, aware of the de-scoping of the project, said the super speciality hospital has been necessitated, as the total number of patients treated by the above three departments has outnumbered the rest of the six departments. Without providing data, the doctor said that over two-thirds of the hospital beds on the TKMCH premises are occupied by patients related to the three departments.
A senior doctor told TNIE that, besides the three departments, medical facilities, such as radiology, anesthesiology, and laboratories, would also be established at the super speciality hospital. When asked about the development plans for the existing TKMCH, another doctor said the state government had accorded permission for demolishing two old buildings on the premises, with plans to accommodate new and advanced medical facilities.