Health ministry to Upgrade 23 GMCs under PMSSY

23 GMCs are to be upgraded under PMSSY- the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana in May. The health ministry was recently in the process of finalizing the tenders. A per the set schedule by the ministry, 2019 will be the year when these projects are expected to be completed.

The tenders are now reported to be closed at an amount of Rs.1, 525.80 crore. The project cost will be divided between the centre and the state in the ratio of 80:20. GMCs in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat are a part of the plan.

The medical colleges are to be upgraded so as to bring an improvement in the healthcare infrastructure in the respective state. More specifically, super-specialty blocks and trauma centres will be constructed at the premise. Besides, medical equipment's will be procured, at an amount of Rs 45 crore allocated to each college.

PMSSY was introduced in 2006 with a clear objective to upgrade 70 GMCs across the country. So far, 16 GMCs have been upgraded, with 40 more on the cards in the next two years. The tenders are now final for 23. Besides, a total of 290 super-specialty departments, including cardiology, nephrology, urology, gastroenterology and burns will be added through the targeted upgradation of 40 GMCs. 8,598 more beds, including 1,745 beds in ICUs and 287 OTs are a part of the vision. 666 PG medical seats will be added in 40 GMCs.

“We are looking to finish the projects by December 2018 or so,” said Sunil Sharma, a joint secretary in the health ministry to The Mint.

The primary objective of PMSSY is correcting regional imbalances in availability of affordable tertiary health care. The colleges have been given the choice between building 150-250 bedded blocks with some equipment or create a super-specialty of their choice. “It depends on the region-specific priority and need,” said Sharma.

The remaining tenders are expected to be closed in the next two months.