Hindustan Times
12 October 2011
New Delhi , India

A 500–bedded new ward that will function as a dedicated mother and child care unit was on Thursday added to the Delhi government–run Guru Tegh Bahadur (GTB) Hospital that caters to more than 5,000 people every day.

“We look forward to developing the hospital as a complete healthcare centre in the next few years,” said chief minister Sheila Dikshit.

“The increase in the number of beds will help provide a lot of relief to the hospital as it is always in need of more beds due to the patient load,” added Dikshit.

The hospital not only gets people from the trans–Yamuna area, where it is located, but also from the neighbouring state of Uttar Pradesh. One of the upsides of the building is its quake–resistant and eco–friendly character.

The Rs 53.32 crore building was constructed in four years and is first of its kind in the city. The eight storey ward will house operation theatres, general wards and private wards, especially for the gynaecology and peadiatrics departments apart from the maternity and child health care.

To tide over the problem of increased shortage of nurses in the government hospitals, the Delhi government also inaugurated a four-storey building in the hospital for a nursing college.

The chief minister also emphasised upon the need of a dental college within the hospital to turn into a complete healthcare destination for those who cannot afford treatment at private hospitals.

“A separate diabetic block and installing an MRI machine is also in the pipeline. We also look at overcoming the shortage of nurses and other para medical staff by imparting skill development training,” said AK Walia, state health minister."