In a major move to overhaul the health infrastructure in the state of Bihar, the Patna Medical College Hospital (PMCH) is all lined up to launch the world-class emergency, and a 272-bed general ward on August 15, 2025. As an effective gift by the state government on Independence Day, this launch is being promoted as a symbolic and meaningful gift by the Bihar government to its people. The management of the hospital, in conjunction with the Bihar Medical Services and Infrastructure Corporation Limited (BMSICL), is working speedily on the completion of the mandatory amenities and equipment so that the inauguration can be done without any last-minute hurdles.
Under the ambitious PMCH redevelopment scheme, a 100-bed emergency unit in the Medicine section will be the one that will come online, and then a 272-bed indoor general unit in the same section. Such a combined structure will enable patients to get emergency care services as well as in-hospital services under a single roof, which will lead to a drastic increase in efficiency and quality of medical care.
Plans for this rollout are going full steam. BMSICL has also been assigned the responsibility of carrying out the essential infrastructure works, including the installation of the oxygen pipelines and medical gas systems and other safety requirements. The completion of the section is anticipated on August 7, and the necessary time is assumed that the agency will transfer the section to the hospital administration by this time to start admitting patients as of August 15.
The opening will be only the beginning of the changes in the hospital as set by Dr. I.S. Thakur, Superintendent of PMCH. Phase two, which will start in September, will provide emergency and indoor services to the departments like Paediatrics, Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Ophthalmology and ENT. Paediatrics and obstetrics wards, which are going to be relocated to a new area, will also comprise dedicated care units such as Picu and Nicu, and 90 beds will be freed under this.
The third stage of the redevelopment will unveil an additional 200 beds in the rest of the departments. Collectively, all three phases will increase the total capacity of PMCH to an enormous number of 5,462 beds, one of the largest government-managed hospitals in the country. It has been redeveloped at a cost of 5,460 crore, where the allotment of 764.3 crore is for the advanced medical equipment only.
More importantly, the hospital is also laying down 27 operating theatres, where each of them will come with high-end anaesthesia workstations as well as vial separators, which will cost close to 70 lakh a piece. These state-of-the-art operating rooms are likely to revolutionize the accuracy of surgery and patient safety.
By opening the emergency and general wards, the situation is being described as a breakthrough in the history of Bihar as far as the health system of the state is concerned. It not only represents the modern accessibility of healthcare as the mission of the state government but also instantaneous relief to thousands of patients who rely on PMCH to obtain lifesaving medical aid. With just the passage of time until Independence Day, PMCH is all set to bring a new chapter to the history of healthcare in Bihar.
