Uttarakhand: Dehradun To Get 500-Bed Hospital; Critical Care Blocks To Be Built At Rudraprayag, Nainital And Srinagar

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Friday (31 March) virtually laid the foundation stone of a 500-bed hospital in Dehradun and three 50-bed critical care blocks at Rudraprayag, Nainital, and Srinagar in Uttarakhand.

The critical care blocks at Rudraprayag and Nainital will be constructed under the Emergency COVID Response Package-II (ECRP-II) while the one at Shrinagar will be built under the PM Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (ABHIM).

A total of Rs 71.25 crore has been sanctioned for the construction of the critical care blocks, with Rs 23.75 being approved for each block.

The facilities provided in these blocks will include ICU beds, HDU beds, isolation ward beds, isolation rooms, emergency beds, operation theaters, labor delivery rooms, joint care labs, and dialysis rooms, according to a statement by the Union Health Ministry.

The 500-bed facility in Dehradun's Doon Medical College will be expanded with an amount of Rs 120 crore to upgrade and strengthen the medical infrastructure in the state.

With this initiative, patients coming from remote areas will also be able to get better treatment facilities in the state capital, the ministry said.

"Government of Uttarakhand is speeding up the work in the health sector, where a total of 14 critical care blocks are being constructed, 7 under the PM-ABHIM scheme and 7 under ECRP-II," the minister said.

“Through these initiatives, better health facilities for emergency care will be easily available to the general public living in remote areas of the mountainous region”, he added.

Development of these new medical facilities gain significance as they will not only cater to the medical needs of the local population but will also benefit the millions of tourists who visit the state annually, especially the Char Dham pilgrims who travel through Rudraprayag and Srinagar.

The Char Dham Yatra is an important pilgrimage for millions of Hindus who visit Uttarakhand to seek blessings from the four revered Himalayan shrines of Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath.

The yatra attracts a large number of tourists every year, and the state government is constantly working to improve the infrastructure in the region.

The upgraded medical infrastructure will not only ensure that the pilgrims receive better medical attention in case of an emergency, but it will also help in reducing the pressure on the existing medical facilities in the region.