CHENNAI: Some of the older structures at the Government Institute of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Hospital for Women and Children Campus in Egmore will soon be demolished. A proposal to this effect has been sent to the state government. The heritage buildings will however be maintained, said sources.
According to records, the hospital shaped like a woman’s pelvis was constructed in 1844 and many of the old buildings have been deemed unfit for use.
Last year, a heritage building was renovated while maintaining the original structure. It was funded by the Kamarajar Port. One part of the building has been converted into an antenatal outpatient unit and the others as a naturopathy and yoga centre, etc.
Speaking to TNIE, Dr T S Meena, director in-charge of the hospital, said, the OP block, Giffard School Museum and old operation theatre complex are heritage buildings. “We have submitted a proposal to build a women’s wellness clinic, gynaecology oncology and preventive oncology. The wellness clinic would act as a one-stop centre for all health problems,” said Dr Meena.
The heritage building which was converted into an OP unit is visited by 250 patients every day. It has a laboratory, scan centre, vaccination area, restrooms, and other facilities, Dr Meena said.
"In the heritage building, even a bell has been preserved. In the old days, when a patient entered the hospital, the attender would ring the bell to announce the arrival of the patient. This is how the message was communicated to the entire hospital,” added Dr Meena.
According to hospital sources, the hospital was established on the banks of Cooum in July 1844. The Madras Government Lying-in Hospital was later renamed Government Maternity Hospital. In 1882, the Government Maternity Hospital was shifted to its present location.
History