Chandigarh: The regional medical hub, planned for Sec 53, will be developed as a state-of-the-art research, educational, and super-speciality hub to cater to the needs of the region. “It will not be simply a hospital to cater to the needs of the city,” said a senior UT official.
On Thursday, in a high-level meeting chaired by the Punjab governor and UT administrator Gulab Chand Kataria, it was decided that the plans for the regional medical hub would be further developed after studying a few centres of excellence, which are of postgraduate level, having research and super-speciality expertise.
The main emphasis was to align the plans of the regional medical hub with the vision set by the Niti Aayog.
“The scope of work for the city regional medical hub will be decided after studying these centres of excellence. What type of super-speciality, what level of patient care will be provided, and what other facilities should be in the regional medical hub will be decided and planned thereafter,” said the official.
At present, the plans for having a mother and child centre and emergency facilities have been incorporated. Both of these will be 400-bed facilities.
After the scope of work is finalised, a detailed project report will be prepared, and then it will be implemented. The proposed regional medical hub, with talent on par with AIIMS, will further strengthen the health and medical education ecosystem in the region.
The project was first mooted in 2024 during the visit of the Union home secretary to Chandigarh. The Union home secretary directed the administration to work on projects promoting Chandigarh as a hub for regional and national-level healthcare.
The UT administration initially proposed a major expansion of the GMSH-16. In response, the Centre asked the UT to work on a more long-term vision and develop a ‘centre of excellence’ along the lines of AIIMS. Thereafter, the UT prepared the proposal, and discussions were held at the level of Niti Aayog.
The facility will be established on two land parcels in Sector 53. On a ten-acre plot, the medical hub will be created, and on a four-acre plot, the administrative block, residential complex, and facilities like serai will be constructed.
The health facilities in the UT not only cater to residents of the city but also to adjoining areas of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal, Jammu & Kashmir, Uttarakhand, and far-flung areas. The Niti Aayog meeting was held to discuss strengthening the existing healthcare infrastructure in the UT and to decongest the present govt hospitals in the city.
CHB Sec 53 housing scheme still alive
The much-delayed Sector 53 self-financing housing scheme plans have not been shelved, and CHB is still planning to launch the project. On Thursday, it was decided that the CHB will make a presentation before UT administrator Gulab Chand Kataria about the project. “A final decision regarding the launch of the project will be taken after it,” said a senior UT official.
In the survey for the scheme held in Feb-March this year, nearly 7,500 applicants expressed their interest in 372 flats. In a previous survey (2018-19), the scheme received only 178 applications. Applicants deposited Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000 under the demand survey, depending on the category of flats. However, after a major hike in the collector rates, CHB increased the prices of the flats by 30% to 40%, depending on the category of the flat.
“The flats will be offered at the revised and hiked rates in line with the current collector rates,” said the official. The housing scheme was to be launched in 2018, but it was dropped after a poor demand survey at the time.
