Thaindian News

Mumbai, Jan 2 (IANS) Move over, AIIMS — Mumbai will soon have a government-run world-class multi-storied super-speciality hospital at a cost of around Rs.630 crore (Rs.6.30 billion), Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan announced Monday.

The proposed hospital will be located in the campus of the state’s premier Sir J.J. Group of Hospitals in south Mumbai, he said.

The hospital will treat patients suffering from all major diseases, including cardiac, brain, kidneys, liver, and others requiring advanced medical facilities.

“The 20-storied hospital building will cost around Rs.376 crore, a hostel for men and women and residential staff quarters will cost around Rs.103 crore, plus Rs.150 crore for acquiring sophisticated medical equipment and other facilities,” Chavan said.

Another Rs.19 crore has been approved for the recurring expenditure on the technical staff manning these equipments, he added.

“Since there is a restriction on constructing hospital buildings above 30 metres with a floor space index of 5.32, the urban development department has been directed to take necessary measures on priority,” Chavan said.

T.P. Lahane, a renowned eye surgeon and dean of Sir J.J. Group of Hospitals said: “The government’s move will prove to be of great benefit to the patients, especially the economically weaker sections.”

“This is the first major development here since 1961. The requirements have increased manifold, but we are confident that the new hospital will be functional within the next three years,” Lahane said.

Set up as a medical college with just nine students on its rolls in 1845, the Sir J.J. Group of Hospitals has grown over the years and will now offer super speciality medical facilities.

With a handsome donation of Rs.100,000 made by Sir Jamshetjee Jeejeebhoy, a renowned Parsi businessman and philanthropist of Bombay, it was in existence 12 years before the prestigious University of Bombay was established in 1857.

At that time, it ranked as only the third medical college-cum hospital in the country set up during the British rule, the earlier two being in then Calcutta and Madras, now Kolkata and Chennai.