New ICU for MKCG Medical College

Berhampur: The MKCG Medical College and Hospital’s central intensive care unit(ICU), was jointly inaugurated recently by the Dean and Principal, MKCG Medical College, Dr. Radha Madhav Tripathy and Superintendent of the Hospital, Dr.Charan Panda,

Mr. Ramesh Chandra Chau Patnaik, MLA Berhampur, who is also a physician, had earlier urged the government for the oxygen plant and the ICU. "I urged the implementing agency to expedite construction of the oxygen project," he stated.

Expressing satisfaction over the opening of the intensive care unit, Mr. Patnaik stated: "A central ICU, intensive therapy or treatment unit is necessary for good health management."

In 2011, the then Health Minister Prasanna Acharya had announced in the State Legislative Assembly that a central intensive care unit would be set up in the MKCG Hospital. Funds worth Rs 6.9 crore were sanctioned for its building. The construction work of the structure was assigned to the road and buildings department.The hospital earlier had just four ICU’s in the old indoor building to manage a cumulative bed strength of 1,081.

This resulted in patients having to cue up for ICU admissions or get referred to other private hospitals, in case of emergencies, said a junior doctor. Heart attack emergencies had to be sent to other healthcare facilities. What added to patient troubles is the complete absence of ICU facility in any of the private hospitals in Berhampur; compelling patients to go to Visakhapatnam or Bhubaneswar, reports the Telegraph.