Rs. 600-cr critical care blocks coming up in 24 govt hospitals

Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh is setting up new Critical Care Blocks (CCBs) in 24 government hospitals at a project cost of Rs 600 crore under the Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM), aimed at strengthening emergency care capacity and preventing treatment disruptions witnessed during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The health department said that 11 CCBs will be commissioned by the end of next month, and all units are targeted for completion by August 13, 2026, creating 1,275 additional critical-care beds across the state.

The initiative follows lessons from the pandemic, where emergency services came under pressure and non-Covid patients faced treatment gaps. The Centre has approved 621 CCBs nationwide, and Andhra Pradesh has taken up construction in teaching, district and area hospitals, excluding Guntur and Tenali among teaching hospitals.

Construction in Nellore and Ongole teaching hospitals is almost complete, while CCBs in Kadapa, Kurnool, Tirupati, Hindupuram, Anantapur, Anakapalle, Rajahmundry, Visakhapatnam, Srikakulam, Vijayawada and Vizianagaram are expected to be ready by next month.

Facilities in Tenali are scheduled for completion by March 2026, and those in Chirala, Paderu, Eluru, Machilipatnam, Palakonda, Nandyal, Bhimavaram, Narasaraopet, Rayachoti and Kakinada by August next year.

Each 50-bed block is being built at an estimated Rs 23.75 crore including equipment, while larger units — a 75-bed CCB at Narasaraopet costing Rs 36.35 crore, and a 100-bed CCB at Tenali costing Rs 44.50 crore — are also under way.

The blocks will include ICUs, step-down ICUs, isolation wards, dialysis, maternity and casualty services, enabling hospitals to treat cardiac, respiratory, poisoning, renal, maternal and paediatric emergencies within a dedicated unit.