Chandigarh: As part of its long-term “Vision 2047,” PGI Chandigarh has drawn up a strategic plan to integrate its main campus with the upcoming 50-acre satellite centre at Sarangpur through a dedicated underground tunnel. The proposed high-tech link, currently under feasibility assessment, is intended to function as both a clinical and logistical corridor.Officials said the aim is to ensure that the Sarangpur expansion operates as an organic extension of the main institute rather than a separate referral unit. Alongside the tunnel, the institute is examining the possibility of launching an internal free metro service, creating what it describes as a “One Campus” model.Sources said the project will soon be placed before the Union ministry of health and family welfare. PGI director Prof Vivek Lal said the proposal would ease traffic and crowding after all campuses become operational. “Once approved, it will reduce traffic and rush. We are committed to taking this proposal forward to the ministry to ensure a smoother experience for patients and visitors alike,” he said.The push for expansion stems from the urgent need to decongest the existing campus, which is functioning far beyond its designed capacity. The UT administration allocated land in Sarangpur on the condition that primary outpatient services be shifted there to help address traffic jams and parking shortages at the main site. By shifting screening OPDs to Sarangpur, PGI expects patient inflow to be filtered at the periphery, enabling the main campus to focus on high-end tertiary care.The proposal draws inspiration from AIIMS, New Delhi, where a 614-metre tunnel has demonstrated significant logistical advantages. PGI officials said their proposed link would not just save time but serve as a lifeline for emergencies. By bypassing the congested Madhya Marg, ambulances could transfer unstable patients between the two campuses within minutes, compared with the current 30 to 45 minutes during peak hours. “We plan to start free metro services for patients and other logistic services,” an official said.The tunnel is also expected to streamline the movement of medical resources. Dedicated internal corridors could carry pneumatic tube systems for rapid transfer of samples, biopsies and critical drugs between the two centres without exposure to external conditions. Institute officials said the project would also help faculty and resident doctors move between surgical duties and teaching assignments without being delayed by traffic.BOX:PGI has 200% bed occupancy in the emergency and over 10,000 OPD daily footfall.The parking space is not for more than 4,000 vehicles.3 more new centres are coming up—Advanced Neuroscience Centre, Mother and Child Centre, and Critical Care Block—which will add more to the existing footfall.There is no space for the new faculty offices.Sarangpur campus will have 100 seats MBBS college, which will require training from the main PGI campus.MSID:: 127803342 413 |
