Pune: The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) will soon sign an MoU with a private firm currently managing the 17 ICU beds at the civic-run Kamala Nehru Hospital and bring seven of them under its direct control. “Our hospital is already empanelled under MJPJAY (Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Jan Aarogya Yojana). Now, with PMC taking over seven beds, patients will be able to get free ICU services along with consumables and other treatment,” Dr Kalpana Baliwant, deputy health officer at PMC’s health department, said. The availability of ICU beds will also help the hospital handle complicated cases which are otherwise referred to Sassoon General Hospital. “A modular operation theatre is also being constructed at the hospital and it will be ready by the end of Feb. After that patients can avail this service as well,” she said.Currently, the third party charges patients as per the CGHS rates for using the ICU ward.Dr Baliwant said, “We will soon sign an MoU with the third party. Whatever amount is charged to patients admitted to this ward will be paid directly by PMC to the third party. By the end of this year, the first batch of MBBS students from our medical college will be available to the hospital as interns.”Dr Nina Borade, chief health officer, PMC, said, “We recently recruited 17 specialist doctors at the hospital. Now, with ICU beds directly under PMC’s control, we will be able to provide better services to patients. We are also upgrading the entire hospital, which will add to our capacity and capabilities.”
