New block to improve operational capability of CMCH
With the inauguration of a new multispeciality block, the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital (CMCH) has been equipped to accommodate 300 inpatients and handle around 1,000 outpatients per day, additionally.
The biggest governmentrun tertiary care hospital in the region had been handling 3,500 to 4,750 outpatients and 1,400 to 1,750 inpatients daily. Hospital authorities expect that the new block, which was inaugurated by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Wednesday, will continue to serve more patients from the district and neighbouring Tiruppur, the Nilgiris and parts of Kerala. Foundation stone for the building was laid in February 2021 and the project was implemented by the Tamil Nadu Urban Health Care Project with assistance from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). Built at a cost of ₹163.53 crore, the sevenstoreyed building is spread over 1,95,937 sq.ft.
The ground floor of the new block houses an emergency ward equipped with operation theatres, CT scan, MRI scan, digital radiography, digital fluoroscopy cum radiography, digital mammography and ultrasound scan.
The first floor has been allocated for superspeciality outpatient wards and pharmacy. An operation theatre, intensive care unit and ward for victims of burns will function on the second floor.
The third floor will house gastroenterology ward and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). Neurosurgery ward and ICU will operate on the fourth floor while operation theatres for neurosurgery and gastroenterology will function on the fifth floor.
The sixth floor will have operation theatres for cardiothoracic and vascular surgeries along with postoperative and postanaesthesia units.
The government has allocated ₹122.43 crore to procure medical equipment for the new block.
Health Minister Ma. Subramanian said foundation stone has also been laid for a steam laundry unit for the hospital, which will be built at ₹2.45 crore to replace the existing facility established in 1990.
Project Director of Tamil Nadu Urban Health Care Project M. Govinda Rao, Coimbatore south MLA Vanathi Srinivasan, CMCH Dean A. Nirmala, and Government ESI and Medical College Hospital Dean M. Raveendran were present at the function.