Asia’s biggest TB hospital — Rajan Babu Institute of Pulmonary Medicine and Tuberculosis — in the Capital is set to undergo a complete makeover. Run by the North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NMC), the hospital will soon be having a medical college of its own besides upgradation of existing facilities at the centre this year. With a capacity of 1,600 beds, the TB hospital, located at Kingsway Camp in North Delhi, is visited by hundreds of patients everyday. The hospital was formerly known as Rajan Babu TB Hospital.

The North Delhi Municipal Corporation, which has already started its first medical college at Hindu Rao Hospital, has announced opening its second medical college. In run-up to the lok Sabha polls, the BJP ruled civic body had recently announced the medical college with reservation to the students hailing from Delhi. In addition to this, the civic body has developed a new administrative block and an auditorium in the hospital. Officials said 79 acres of land is lying unused with the hospital that would be used for developing the proposed medical college. The officials have been asked to prepare a detail report and the same will be presented before the Standing Committee of House of the North Delhi Corporation soon.

“The preliminary works have already started. We are working out the modalities of funds for the project and thereafter the officials will begin the procedure for recognition to the proposed medical college,” said Mohan Bhardwaj, Chairman of the Standing Committee in North Delhi Corporation. Officials said the existing infrastructure in the hospital would be modified to be used for college. Once the infrastructure is in place, the necessary approval from the Medical Council of India (MCI) will be taken.

Presenting the Budget for the year 2014-15 recently, Bhardwaj said the hospital is also in the process of procuring some modern equipment for better patient care. “We are procuring fully automatic biochemistry analyser, cryotherapy machine for physiotherapy, advanced laser therapy, high frequency X-ray machines and emergency lab equipment among other,” he said, adding the medicine, radiology and pathology departments of the hospitals are also being renovated.

It is noteworthy, that the Rajan Babu TB Hospital is included in the civic body’s list of heritage buildings. The main building of the hospital was originally a railway station constructed to receive King George V during the British Era. Officials said while redeveloping the hospital, the heritage character of the building will be kept into consideration. The hospital is located close to Hindu Rao Hospital, which is the biggest hospital in the entire North and Central Delhi areas with 980-bed capacity. The hospital also has the first municipality-run medical college in Delhi named after former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Started in 2013, the medical college has engaged 50 students for the MBBS course in the first session and the North Corporation plans to increase the number of seats to 200. Having obtained the MCI nod in first inspection, the civic body has roped in retired professors from the premiere AIIMS and other reputed medical colleges in India.