New block at KMC to be functional by September

CHENNAI: The new block being constructed at the Kilpauk Medical College and Hospital as part of the Tamil Nadu Urban Care Project, supported by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is set to be open for public use by September.

Kilpauk Medical College and Hospital is being upgraded at a cost of Rs 135 crore from JICA to bring in multiple specialities under one block in the hospital premises.

The availability of key specialties under one block would help the patients as they need not run from one block to another. Moreover, the specialities functioning in the old buildings of the hospitals can be revamped after the new block becomes functional.

The officials with the Directorate of Medical Education said that the construction works are nearing completion and about 70-80 percent of the work has been done, while the Public Works Department (PWD) is also working on the infrastructure development. The guidelines of the Medical Council of India have been kept in mind while undertaking the project. The civil works, maintenance and supervision of the buildings is being undertaken by the PWD department.

The change in the architectural plans and tender excess have led to a delay in the completion of the project that was expected to be completed by August 2022. Since the changes led to an additional cost towards the project, it was revised and finally, the construction work is nearing it's final stage.

The Tamil Nadu Urban Care Project is aimed at improving secondary care hospitals and hospital management through automation, and providing primary health care for the treatment of non-communicable diseases at the hospitals.