Visakhapatnam: The new surgical oncology block at King George Hospital (KGH) in the city will be functional by December next year. The six-storey block, having 28,000 sq ft space on each floor, will have 90 beds, 10 operation theatres, and a radiation therapy unit.
“With an initial fund of Rs 8 crore from the government in 2015-16, almost 60 per cent of the brick work has been completed in the first phase of the construction,” KGH superintendent Dr G. Arjuna told this newspaper.
The project was the brainchild of Congress Rajya Sabha member Dr T. Subbarami Reddy, who had envisaged building a high-rise central block for cancer patients with the corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds from public sector undertakings.
Initially, public sector units like RINL, BHEL, and NHPC had committed Rs 60 crore while the total cost of this project was around Rs 80 crore. The construction of the block has seen slow progress with the delay in receiving funds from the PSUs.
Of late, oncology has become one of important departments in the healthcare as the incidence of cancer among people has increased due to the consumption of carcinogenic substances. Once the oncology block is ready with most advanced facilities, all the cancer patients will be shifted, and this will solve the space constraints at KGH.
“Though the government has sanctioned only 1,037 beds for the in-patients, we have provided additional beds by adjusting the funds received from the government,” Dr Arjuna said.
He said, “With these extra beds, there will be around 1,500 in-patient beds at KGH. Still, they are not sufficient due to the rising demand. The hospital plans to add 30 beds per each major faculty such as gynaecology and neurology, along with enhancing the number of doctors and staff nurses.”
The hospital identified the need for five neonatal ventilators for newborns, and three C-arms for better medical treatment. The C-arm is a medical imaging device that helps in viewing the anatomy of the patient during surgery.
The superintendent has submitted the requirement to the AP Medical Services and Infrastructure Development Corporation (APMSIDC), which will procure it for the government hospital. The hospital had provided free medical services to 41,013 in-patients and 81,029 out-patients in September, Dr Arjuna said.
Even after a year of starting Visakha Institute of Medical Sciences (VIMS), people prefer to go KGH as it is located in the heart of the city. Moreover, VIMS charge nominal fees to the patients, while they avail free medical services at KGH.
