The Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Shri J.P. Nadda, assessed the progress of Lady Hardinge Medical College (LHMC) and its associated hospitals, focusing on healthcare infrastructure, specialized clinical services, medical education, research, and patient care.
On September 28, 2026, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Shri J.P. Nadda convened a review meeting to evaluate the progress of LHMC and its associated hospitals, Smt. Sucheta Kriplani Hospital (SSKH) and Kalawati Saran Children’s Hospital (KSCH). The focus was on reinforcing healthcare infrastructure, enhancing specialized clinical services, promoting medical education, research, and improving patient care.
During the meeting, the Minister was informed about the ongoing expansion of KSCH. The project aims to increase the hospital’s total bed capacity from 394 to 894 beds, ICU capacity from 40 to 200 beds, and the number of Operation Theatres from 4 to 12. Construction work on the KSCH campus is underway with a vision to bolster tertiary and super-speciality paediatric care, while also expanding capacity for undergraduate, postgraduate, and super-speciality medical education and training.
Addressing the meeting, Shri Nadda emphasized that the ongoing and upcoming projects at LHMC and its associated hospitals should be planned with a patient-centric and future-oriented approach. He underscored the importance of leveraging the expertise and best practices of leading institutions in relevant fields while ensuring high-quality construction and stringent monitoring of project timelines.
He called for timely escalation of issues requiring approvals and clearances to the Ministry. Infrastructure expansion and recruitment of nurses, doctors, and other healthcare professionals were urged to progress concurrently.
Looking ahead, he advocated for a comprehensive master plan with a long-term institutional vision, combining immediate priorities with phased development and a forward-looking perspective for the coming decades. He also encouraged exploring private-sector expertise and partnerships, wherever appropriate, in planning and implementing major projects while ensuring that quality, efficiency, and patient care remain central to all such initiatives.
At LHMC, Shri Nadda visited the state-of-the-art Skill Lab, a comprehensive multidisciplinary simulation-based training facility. The facility offers hands-on and competency-based learning in a safe and controlled environment for various disciplines like ICU, surgical skills, simulated OT, Obstetrics OT, NICU, trauma, ENT, and ophthalmology.
The Minister also reviewed the recently functional Augmented Level III-B Neonatal Care Centre at Kalawati Saran Children’s Hospital. The facility provides advanced services such as high-frequency oscillatory ventilation (HFOV), inhaled nitric oxide therapy, therapeutic hypothermia, and comprehensive respiratory support.
Source:
Press Information Bureau
