LUCKNOW: The new state of the art multi speciality central command hospital expected to be commissioned around 2025, will cater over six lakh active and veterans military personnel and their families. On Saturday afternoon, defence minister Rajnath Singh laid the foundation stone for new hospital building.
The ceremony was attended by CM Yogi Adityanath, Chief of Army staff General Manoj Mukund Naravane, Lieutenant General Iqroop Singh Ghuman General Officer-Commanding-in-Chief Central Command, other officers and veterans.
Addressing on the stone laying foundation ceremony, Lieutenant general Iqroop Singh Ghuman said, "The hospital will cater over six lakh active and veterans military personnel and their families. The project was pending for many years, but soon we will release tenders followed by contracts for building construction."
"The hospital will have close to 900 beds including 100 for emergency. The new hospital will also be used for clinical and dental training," said GOC-in-C.
Currently, 22 army hospitals and two Airforce hospitals in the state handle massive number of patients including of those from Nepal origin who are either serving in Indian army or have become veterans.
According to central command, the new building will spread over 40 acre of land with estimated cost of Rs 425 crore. The building will have six blocks of four wings varying from three to nine storeys.
"All blocks will be inter connected with skyways independent of the main patient activity areas. The building complex will also cater for parking of 750 vehicles in addition to vertical circulation in the form of adequate numbers of elevators and ramps. It will house state of the art facilities with all specialties and sub specialties notably cardiology with a modern interventional catheterisation lab, modular operation theatres with one hybrid operation theatre, state of the art Nephrology and dialysis centre and composite oncology centre," said senior official of center command.
The hospital was raised in 1859 for British military and later in 1967 it was designated as Command Hospital (Central Command) .
"The building of new command hospital was approved in 2018 after 20 years of delay caused by procedural delays and budgetary allocation. But in next few years the hospital will become reality," said defence minister Rajnath Singh.
While chief minister Yogi Adityanath said, "Central command has been vitial in building confidence among people during pandemic. They inspire civil administration to work betterment for society. Every possible help will be extended to central command by civil administration in construction of hospital."