Sassoon Hospital ICU Beds to Increase by 34 in Pune

Pune: In a major relief for critically ill patients, Pune’s Sassoon General Hospital is set to expand its Intensive Care Unit (ICU) capacity after the hospital administration proposed adding 34 new ICU beds to address the growing shortage of critical-care facilities.

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The proposal has been forwarded to the Department of Medical Education and Drugs, with approval already granted for 20 of the proposed 34 beds. The remaining 14 beds are expected to receive approval soon.

Sassoon General Hospital caters to patients from Pune as well as several districts across western Maharashtra, resulting in significant pressure on its critical-care infrastructure. At present, the hospital has 162 ICU beds across nine different departments.

The shortage of ICU beds can become critical when patients requiring immediate intensive care cannot be admitted on time. The issue gained further attention after a claim that a patient died after an ICU bed was reportedly unavailable. Following the seriousness of the incident, the hospital administration decided to accelerate plans to expand critical-care facilities.

34 New ICU Beds Proposed

Under the current proposal, the Medical ICU will be expanded with 14 additional beds. Approval for these beds is expected shortly.

In addition, the Medical Education Department has approved 10 additional ICU beds for post-operative patients and another 10 beds for cardiac patients.

With the approved expansion, the capacity of both these units will increase from 10 beds to 20 beds each.

Once approval is granted for the remaining 14 beds, Sassoon Hospital’s overall ICU capacity is expected to rise from 162 to 196 beds.

Emergency Department to Get 20 More Beds

The hospital administration is also working to strengthen its Accident and Emergency Department.

The department currently has 30 beds. A proposal to add another 20 beds has been approved, which will increase its total capacity to 50 beds.

The expansion is expected to improve the hospital’s ability to handle accident victims and other patients requiring immediate medical attention.

What Sassoon Dean Said

Sassoon Hospital Dean Dr. Eknath Pawar said the hospital currently has 162 ICU beds and that an additional 34 beds had been proposed after assessing the increasing needs of patients.

He said approval has already been received for 20 beds and that once the remaining 14 beds are approved, the hospital will be able to provide timely and quality medical treatment to a larger number of critically ill patients.

More Critical Patients to Receive Treatment

Deputy Dean and Head of Postgraduate Studies at B.J. Medical College, Dr. Rajesh Karyakarte, said the increase in ICU beds was a positive development and would enable the hospital to provide critical care to more patients.

He also pointed out that the expansion would benefit postgraduate medical students by giving them greater exposure to the treatment and management of critically ill patients.

The planned expansion is expected to provide significant relief to Sassoon Hospital, where the demand for ICU and emergency care remains high. If the remaining 14 beds receive approval, the hospital’s critical-care capacity will increase substantially, potentially allowing more seriously ill patients to receive treatment without facing prolonged waits for ICU admission.