Chandigarh: PGI to get elderly care, rehab centre
Shimona Kanwar | TNN | Mar 2, 2019, 05:59 IST
Representative imageCHANDIGARH: The Union cabinet has approved the establishment of a geriatric care and rehabilitation centre at PGI, making it the only government hospital in the country to offer such a facility to elderly patients.
The institute was told about the government’s approval on Friday.
The six-storeyed centre will be 250-bedded. It will come up at a cost of Rs 469 crore. In 2014, around 1.7 lakh elderly pattern visited PGI. The number increased to 3.3 lakh in 2017. “As life expectancy has increased, problems related to geriatric care have gone up. This centre will be able to cater to all the states north of Delhi,” said professor Jagat Ram, director, PGI.
Presently, there are no dedicated beds for the elderly who have to wait along with much younger patients for their turn. For an affordable and holistic care, the centre will offer all services, including operation theatres, ICUs and other diagnostics for OPD and admissions to the elderly population.
“Presently, geriatric care is scattered at different wings, wards and corridors. This centre will consolidate all under one roof and enhance the care,” said Amitabh Avasthi, deputy director administration, PGI.
Besides OPD and in-patient department, the centre shall have MRI, CT scan, operation theatres and other infrastructure only for the elderly. India has only three colleges which train geriatrists. This includes Amrita School of Medicine, Kochi, Christian Medical College, Vellore and Madras Medical College, Chennai.
‘PGI elderly care centre to be ready by 2023’
“The centre shall also have research and teaching facilities that will offer MD/DM (postgraduate) courses in geriatric medicine,” said Avasthi.
He said, “AIIMS, New Delhi, is making 150-bedded geriatric centre. But PGI will be the only public sector hospital to have a larger centre for the elderly. It is expected that by mid of 2023, the centre shall be operational.”
The elderly population in the country has increased from 77 million in 2001 to 144 million in 2021.
Last month, the centre approved PGI's satellite centre at Sarangpur on 51 acre of land at a subsided price of Rs 180 crore.
The institute was told about the government’s approval on Friday.
The six-storeyed centre will be 250-bedded. It will come up at a cost of Rs 469 crore. In 2014, around 1.7 lakh elderly pattern visited PGI. The number increased to 3.3 lakh in 2017. “As life expectancy has increased, problems related to geriatric care have gone up. This centre will be able to cater to all the states north of Delhi,” said professor Jagat Ram, director, PGI.
Presently, there are no dedicated beds for the elderly who have to wait along with much younger patients for their turn. For an affordable and holistic care, the centre will offer all services, including operation theatres, ICUs and other diagnostics for OPD and admissions to the elderly population.
“Presently, geriatric care is scattered at different wings, wards and corridors. This centre will consolidate all under one roof and enhance the care,” said Amitabh Avasthi, deputy director administration, PGI.
Besides OPD and in-patient department, the centre shall have MRI, CT scan, operation theatres and other infrastructure only for the elderly. India has only three colleges which train geriatrists. This includes Amrita School of Medicine, Kochi, Christian Medical College, Vellore and Madras Medical College, Chennai.
‘PGI elderly care centre to be ready by 2023’
“The centre shall also have research and teaching facilities that will offer MD/DM (postgraduate) courses in geriatric medicine,” said Avasthi.
He said, “AIIMS, New Delhi, is making 150-bedded geriatric centre. But PGI will be the only public sector hospital to have a larger centre for the elderly. It is expected that by mid of 2023, the centre shall be operational.”
The elderly population in the country has increased from 77 million in 2001 to 144 million in 2021.
Last month, the centre approved PGI's satellite centre at Sarangpur on 51 acre of land at a subsided price of Rs 180 crore.
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