Prime Minister Narendra Modi to virtually lay stone of Ferozepur’s PGIMER centre

The much-hyped PGI satellite centre was approved in 2013 by the UPA government to boost healthcare facilities in the border region

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will virtually inaugurate ₹500-crore 100-bedded PGIMER satellite centre at Ferozepur on Sunday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi (PTI)

“The centre is planned to house 100 indoor beds. This includes 30 intensive care and high-dependency beds. It will accommodate 10 clinical speciality departments and five other supporting departments. The building will be constructed using the latest techniques and is proposed to be a platinum-rated green hospital,” a PGIMER spokesperson said on Friday.

The much-hyped PGI satellite centre was approved in 2013 by the UPA government to boost healthcare facilities in the border region, and Prime Minister Modi was scheduled to lay the foundation stone on January 5, 2022. However, following a security breach, the PM returned without addressing the rally or laying the foundation stone.

Later, Union home minister Amit Shah was scheduled to lay the foundation stone of the centre on July 23, 2023, but it was postponed. Shah was then scheduled to inaugurate it on September 26, last year, but again the event got cancelled.

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal, in a release, said that his persistent efforts have finally borne fruit.

Meanwhile, BJP leader Rana Gurmit Sodhi said: “It’s a true tribute by BJP to its dedicated stalwart leader Kamal Sharma, who made untiring efforts to set up the PGI satellite centre at Ferozepur.”

“This facility will be a boon for the border belt, which has been deprived of speciality medical services for decades,” former MLA Parminder Singh Pinki said.