New mother-child block inaugurated at medical college

Kochi: The state govt has spent Rs 1,600 crore to provide free medical treatment to the public, health minister Veena George said on Tuesday. She was speaking at the online inauguration of the newly-constructed mother and child super specialty block and other projects at Govt Medical College, Ernakulam. Across govt medical colleges, around 3,000 dialysis sessions and 200 angioplasties are conducted regularly, the minister said, adding that cath labs are now available in all district hospitals. She highlighted advances in govt hospitals, including modern stroke units, robotic surgery, innovative cancer research, CAR T-cell therapy, bone marrow and liver transplants, and free treatment for rare diseases such as spinal muscular atrophy for children up to five years of age. The mother and child super specialty block, built at a cost of Rs 285 crore, spans 8.27 lakh square feet and houses 850 beds. It is designed to provide advanced care for pregnant women and children. The new facility includes modern diagnostic systems and a microbiology lab for level 2 virology testing, established with Rs 1.97 crore from the Indian Council of Medical Research. Twelve pay wards were built with Rs 2.5 crore from the health and family welfare department's plan fund. A cosmetology clinic with advanced equipment has been set up under the dermatology department in collaboration with BPCL. Other additions include a multi-level parking facility and a lift for the academic block. The event was chaired by minister P Rajeev, who also flagged off a new KSRTC bus service connecting Idukki and Kattappana to Kalamassery medical college.