Chengannur: The new multi-storey building at Chengannur district hospital will be inaugurated in December. As part of the measures to open the building, the authorities have placed orders for the necessary equipment through the Kerala Medical Services Corporation Ltd. The devices will be installed as and when they arrive. Meanwhile, the interior work and painting in the building are proceeding. Construction of the building is funded by KIIFB (Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board).

The old building of the hospital, which began functioning in 1943, was demolished to construct the new facility. On completion of the work at an estimated cost of  ₹100 crore, the Chengannur hospital will have a total area of 1,25,000 square feet on seven floors, making it one among the biggest district hospitals in central Kerala. A roof is also being built for the ramp connecting the district hospital with the adjacent Mother and Child Hospital.

All the departments in the district hospital will together have 300 beds. Facilities, including modular operation theatres, will be available. The district hospital is currently functioning in a building of the Government Boys School as a temporary arrangement.

Meanwhile, efforts have been launched to identify land to construct a state-of-the-art trauma care unit and pay wards at the district hospital under the next phase of development as there is insufficient space for these facilities near the new building. The government has entrusted the District Collector with the task of finding one acre of land near the hospital for the purpose.

A trauma care unit is essential for the district hospital, which is located near the MC Road and National Highway 183, as people injured in accidents on these two major roads are currently referred to the government medical colleges in Kottayam and Alappuzha.