Chandigarh, May 15 -- To cater to the growing patient rush, PGIMER's Advance Eye Centre (AEC) is set for expansion with a new six-storey block adjacent to the existing four-storey building.

The Rs.98-crore project was approved last year by the Union ministry of health and family welfare, and the preliminary design has now been cleared by the UT administration.

The institute is preparing a detailed map, which will be submitted for final approval and environmental clearance, a PGIMER official confirmed.

Once construction begins, the building is expected to be completed in 18 months.

Currently, the eye centre caters to nearly 1,400 patients daily in its out-patient department (OPD), with around 100 surgeries, both minor and major, conduc...