Ludhiana: In a major boost to the city’s public health infrastructure, a new 75-bed Critical Care Block (CCB) is scheduled to become operational at the Ludhiana Civil Hospital by the end of June.The expansion will take the hospital’s total functional capacity from 330 to 405 beds, helping to alleviate the chronic overcrowding and referral issues that have long plagued the district’s largest govt medical facility.Construction Progress: 70% CompleteAccording to Ludhiana civil surgeon, Dr Ramandeep Kaur, work on the multi-story block began in March 2025 and is currently in its final stages. Construction is about 70% complete. Once the structure is handed over in late June, the health department will begin the immediate installation of advanced medical machinery and life-support systems in the next phase.The block is designed as a “one-stop” facility, housing ICUs, High Dependency Units (HDU), private rooms, and specialized Mother and Child Hospital (MCH) labour rooms under a single roof. The new facility isn’t just about bed count; it’s about modernizing diagnostic capabilities.The first floor will host an Integrated Public Health Laboratory (IPHL), allowing for rapid, on-site testing for critical patients. Diagnostic wing will include dedicated radiology and emergency diagnostic services to reduce the time spent transporting patients between departments. The expansion comes at a critical time. Currently, the hospital’s emergency ward operates with just seven beds — a figure woefully inadequate for a city of Ludhiana’s size.The hospital’s current emergency intake is 30-40 critical patients daily. It also attends 60-70 cases medico-legal cases (MLC) each day along with 20-30 security-related prisoner medical examinaitons. Senior medical officer (SMO) Dr Akhil Sareen noted that the new CCB of 75 beds will be reserved strictly for the critically ill, allowing the existing emergency ward to breathe and reducing the number of patients forced to seek tertiary care in Chandigarh or Patiala.The National PerspectiveThe Critical Care Block is being constructed under the central govt’s Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM). This national scheme aims to fill critical gaps in public health by establishing specialised care units in every district with a population exceeding 5 lakh. While social activists like Keemti Rawal argue that a city of 40 lakh residents requires at least two such major government hospitals, the completion of this block is seen as a vital step toward bringing Ludhiana’s public healthcare closer to corporate standards.
