In a major boost for healthcare infrastructure in the holy city, the Uttar Pradesh cabinet led by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has given its final approval for the transformation of Varanasi's Shri Shiv Prasad Gupta (SSPG) Divisional Hospital into a state-of-the-art, 500-bed multi super-speciality hospital. The ambitious project, with a total investment of Rs 351.48 crore, is expected to be completed within four years and will significantly ease the medical burden in the region.
Project Details and Phased Construction
The upgrade, approved during a cabinet meeting in Lucknow on Tuesday, will see the existing hospital structure demolished and rebuilt in three distinct phases to ensure continuous patient care. 60% of the project's funding will be provided by the Central Government, with the remaining 40% borne by the state.
Pushp Raj Singh, Executive Engineer (Building) for the Public Works Department, outlined the plan. "We planned to demolish the existing structure and build in three phases to ensure that the functioning of the hospital is not affected," he stated. The total project area spans 83,000 square feet.
The construction will proceed as follows:
- Phase One: Involves constructing the admission building, lab building, indoor patient department (IPD), and a building housing the dialysis unit, operation theatre, ICU, OPD, and emergency services.
- Phase Two: Will focus on a building containing the kitchen, IPD short ward, IPD private ward, all OPDs (including a prisoners' ward), OPD registration, and administrative offices.
- Phase Three: Will finalize the project with landscaping work at the front of the complex.
Singh added that the first two phases are targeted for completion in 18 months each, with the exact timeline to be finalized after the tendering process.
Enhanced Infrastructure and Specialties
The new hospital complex will be a modern vertical structure. The main hospital building will be ground plus eight storeys with two basements. A separate ground plus 12-storey building will be constructed for residential purposes to accommodate staff.
Dr. Brijesh Kumar, Superintendent in Chief (SIC) of the hospital, highlighted the current patient load and the need for expansion. On average, the hospital sees 2,175 OPD registrations per working day and admits about 60 patients to its existing 316-bed IPD. He noted that the demand for IPD beds is currently suppressed due to a lack of specialist and super-specialist facilities.
"Almost all departments are being covered in the project," Dr. Kumar said, indicating that new additions like maxillofacial surgery, trauma medicine and surgery, and a dedicated trauma centre are likely to be included, vastly expanding the hospital's treatment capabilities.
A Long-Awaited Boost for Kashi's Healthcare
The upgrade is seen as a critical development for Varanasi and adjoining districts, which currently rely heavily on the SSPG hospital. Neelkanth Tiwari, MLA for Varanasi City South, revealed that the proposal was initially made by him during the first term of the Yogi Adityanath government.
"After tackling all technical issues, it is now going to be a reality," Tiwari said. He credited the transformation of this hospital and other upcoming facilities, like the new medical college in Pandeypur, to the concerted efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
Once completed, the new multi super-speciality hospital will not only cater to the residents of the old city but is poised to become a major healthcare referral centre for the entire Purvanchal region, marking a significant leap in accessible, advanced medical care.
