Deepak.Yadav@timesofindia.comChandigarh: The Centre’s latest injunction on the regional medical hub has left the UT stumped. The Union ministry of health and family welfare has asked the UT to use its own devices to finance the Rs 2,154 crore regional medical hub project in Sector 53, that too while complying with guidelines of the Ministry of Home Affairs.The ministry has made it clear that if the proposal is planned in PPP mode, approval is required from the department of economic affairs, ministry of finance.This comes as a bolt out of the blue for the administration, which had been seeking financial assistance for the 1,000-bed project, either through PM-ABHIM or New Development Bank or PPP arrangement.TOI has a copy of the letter from an under-secretary rank officer of the ministry of health and family welfare to the UT health secretary. It reads, “I am directed to refer to UT administration of Chandigarh letter dated April 29, 2026, and letter dated Dec 30, 2025 on the subject of proposal for construction of a 500-bedded centre for women and child health care and a 500-bedded centre for super-speciality care in UT of Chandigarh. It is to convey that this Ministry has no objection per se to the said proposal of UT Administration of Chandigarh from requirement perspective. However, UT administration being the project proponent, the project cost would have to be met from the budgetary resources of UT of Chandigarh.”The project, planned on 10 acres of land, includes academic and research infrastructure, postgraduate medical education facilities, research laboratories, supporting infrastructure and residential quarters for medical staff besides the hospital.The regional medical hub, to be built with the assistance of the NITI Aayog, is supposed to address the significant demand for super-speciality healthcare in the public sector for people of Chandigarh and adjoining states of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir. It is also expected to function as an advanced tertiary-plus referral hospital and postgraduate research and education institution.Box: Project Overview:1: 500-bed centre for women and child health care2: 500-bed centre for super-speciality care (emergency trauma)3: Academic and research facilities4: Residential and support infrastructureBox: Financial Requirements1: Project Cost——————————————Rs 2,154 croreA: Civil Construction and Infrastructure——–Rs 1,704 croreB: Medical Equipment——————————–Rs 450 croreBox: Land and area1: Area: 10 acres, including 3.6 acres for residential purposes2: Location: Sector 53, ChandigarhBox: Past high-level deliberations1: Nov 21, 2024: Punjab governor and UT administrator held a meeting discussing the need for enhanced super-speciality healthcare infrastructure in the region2: Dec 26, 2024: Meeting was held under the chairmanship of Dr V K Paul, member (Health), NITI Aayog, to assess regional healthcare demands3: Nov 11, 2025: Decisive meeting chaired by Dr V K Paul. It was attended by chief secretary, Chandigarh; secretary (health); director, health and family welfare/MD NHM, Chandigarh and CEO, HITES, with his team to finalise the proposalBox: Project rationale and alignment–Chandigarh serves as a medical hub for approximately 50 million people across Chandigarh, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu & Kashmir–The region faces shortage of public sector super-speciality beds; limited advanced trauma and emergency care facilities; inadequate maternal and child healthcare at tertiary level and long waiting periods for specialised treatmentsBox: Project Components1: Centre for Women and Child Health Care (500 Beds)A: High-risk pregnancy managementB: Advanced neonatal intensive careC: Paediatric super-specialty servicesD: Maternal and child health facilities2: Centre for super-speciality care (500 Beds) – emergency traumaA: 24×7 comprehensive emergency servicesB: Advanced trauma careC: Super-speciality departments including cardiology, cardiac surgery, neurology, neurosurgery, oncology, nephrology, and critical careD: State-of-the-art diagnostic and surgical facilitiesBox: Expected Outcomes–Quality super-speciality care for 50 million population across Chandigarh and adjoining states–Reduced healthcare costs for public sector patients–Direct employment for doctors, nurses, paramedical staff, and administrative personnel
