New Delhi: In a fresh effort to strengthen healthcare services at Swami Dayanand Hospital in east Delhi, Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has sent a proposal to Delhi govt to develop a 100-bed critical care unit (CCU) under the Ayushman Bharat scheme.The civic body has sought allocation of Rs 117 crore. The proposal includes construction of a building, procurement of medical equipment and provision of allied services. An additional Rs 24 crore will be required for hiring staff, including doctors and other healthcare personnel, said MCD.
“It is one of the largest district hospitals under MCD and functions as a major referral centre for east Delhi as well as adjoining areas of UP. The facility sees 3,000-3,200 OPD patients daily, about 2,800 in-patient department admissions per month, and nearly 10,000 emergency cases monthly. A substantial proportion of these patients require advanced critical care services,” said MCD additional commissioner (health) Pankaj Naresh Aggarwal.The proposal received in-principle approval from the then MCD commissioner and was forwarded on Jan 23 to the secretary, department of health, Delhi govt.At present, the ICU, NICU and HDU facilities at Swami Dayanand Hospital are inadequate to meet the growing demand for critical care, leading to avoidable referrals to tertiary care hospitals.“The proposed CCU will significantly augment secondary-level critical care capacity, ensure timely management of critically-ill patients, reduce out-of-pocket expenditure for economically weaker sections and improve overall patient outcomes,” Aggarwal said.Officials said adequate land is available at the hospital campus for construction of the proposed facility. “The site has been identified and architectural drawings, along with area statements, have been prepared and vetted by the planning department,” an official said.The proposed facility will include ICU and HDU beds, isolation beds and rooms, emergency services, a dialysis unit, maternal and child health services, operation theatres, point-of-care diagnostics, and essential support infrastructure such as MGPS oxygen supply, negative pressure systems and fire safety installations.The estimated recurring expenditure towards contractual human resources, consumables, maintenance, utilities and other operational costs is about Rs 24 crore per annum, with a 10% annual escalation in line with Seventh Pay Commission norms and dearness allowance revisions.As per the proposal, a project management consultant will be engaged through the engineering department to ensure timely completion and quality control.“The proposal aligns with the objectives of PM–ABHIM, which aims to strengthen district-level health infrastructure, improve preparedness for public health emergencies and bridge gaps in critical care capacity exposed during the pandemic,” the proposal stated.Officials said the hospital administration made several attempts in the past to develop additional infrastructure at the facility, but these could not be implemented due to a shortage of funds. In 2021, the erstwhile east corporation submitted a proposal to the Centre through DDA seeking funds in two phases to redevelop the hospital into a 500-bed super-speciality facility.
