New Delhi, March 15 (IANS) Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta announced on Sunday that the government has decided to integrate some of city’s key public medical institutions — Guru Teg Bahadur (GTB) Hospital, the Delhi State Cancer Institute (DSCI), and Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital (RGSSH) — and develop them into a unified autonomous institution on the lines of AIIMS.
At the same time, the Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences (IHBAS) will be developed in the future as NIMHANS-2, a major national centre for mental health and neurosciences, she said.
The proposal was discussed at a meeting chaired by CM Gupta and attended by Health Minister Pankaj Kumar Singh and senior officials from various departments.
During the meeting, detailed discussions were held on plans to integrate the capital’s major government medical institutions to create a stronger and more modern healthcare system, said an official statement.
The focus was on improving the use of existing resources and developing world-class healthcare facilities in Delhi, it said.
The Chief Minister said that strengthening healthcare in the capital requires the scientific and efficient use of available resources.
Integrating different institutions will allow better utilisation of doctors, specialists, medical equipment and infrastructure, while also ensuring that patients receive more organised and advanced treatment, she said.
The meeting also reviewed the current bed capacity in hospitals and the growing pressure of patients.
Officials informed that Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital has a total capacity of 650 beds, but only around 250 beds are currently operational, leaving nearly 400 beds unused.
On the other hand, both the Delhi State Cancer Institute and GTB Hospital are handling patient loads beyond their capacity. GTB Hospital, which has an original capacity of about 1,400 beds, is currently operating with more than 1,500 beds in use.
Patient statistics also highlight the pressure on GTB Hospital. The hospital records over 14 lakhs OPD visits annually, while nearly 95,000 patients receive inpatient (IPD) care.
Meanwhile, the Delhi State Cancer Institute handles around 1.27 lakh OPD patients, and Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital records nearly 2.87 lakh OPD patients.
These figures show that while GTB Hospital is facing an overwhelming patient load, some hospitals still have unused capacity, underscoring the need for better coordination and resource management.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said that once the institutions are integrated, super-speciality services will be distributed more systematically among hospitals, ensuring that patients receive the most appropriate specialist care.
Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital will strengthen services such as cardiology, pulmonology, gastroenterology, gastrointestinal surgery, nephrology, urology, rheumatology and clinical haematology.
Delhi State Cancer Institute will become the primary hub for cancer care, with services like radiation oncology, surgical oncology, nuclear medicine, palliative care and radio-imaging being consolidated there.
--IANS
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