Govt approves Lady Hardinge Medical College redevelopment plan
Jayashree Padmini - New Delhi

The Ministry of Health & Famility Welfare has in-principle approved the redevelopment plan of Lady Hardinge Medical College, New Delhi. The project is estimated at around Rs 508 crore and carried out in a phased manner. The first two phases would be taken up in the Tenth Plan and the subsequent phases during the Eleventh Plan period.

The Central Design Bureau for Medical & Health Buildings, Directorate General of Health Services, has inked a three phase demolition and construction plan whereby each demolition would pave way for the next stage of construction. As per the master plan the campus is divided in to five zones, viz, the college, hospital, services, infrastructure and residential zones.

The first phase demolition targeting the residential quarters in the hospital zone will create space for the first phase of construction to accommodate radiotherapy & oncology blocks, OPD, accident & emergency as well as kiosk & sarai, college of nursing, laundry and mortuary. The staff living in the residential quarters will be re-located to the upcoming residential zone across Bangla Saheb Marg. With the shifting of these facilities second phase of demolition over 16,854 sq m and subsequent construction would begin. The area would house maternity & gynaecology, administration, clinical teaching & library, x-ray, CT scan, diagnostic CSSD, OT block, medical store and kitchen. In phase III construction would accommodate super speciality blocks of LHMC & SSK Hospitals, the National Institute of Pediatrics, laboratory and wards, clinical teaching block and hospital administration where space created is 27,048 sq.m by demolition over 9,261 sq.m.

Next phase would see the development of the infrastructure zone. The redevelopment is expected to provide additional space to fulfill the space needs for departments like burns & plastic surgery, dental wing, rehabilitation block, experimental lab, research and super specialty blocks, etc., with flexibility for future changes. There won?t be any interruption in the day-to-day activities of the college and the two associated hospitals, viz., Sucheta Kripalani Hospital and Kalawati Saran Hospital for Children.