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, conducted every weekday. The centre has six operation theatres and the expansion will add four more. Besides, 18 beds for admissions will also be added. "With more OTs, we'll be able to increase the number of surgeries and reduce waiting time for patients. We have about 30 faculty members who can take on more surgeries," said Dr SS Pandav, head of the ophthalmology department, PGIMER. A total of 18 beds will also be added in the new block. Dr Pandav explained minor surgeries like that of cataract did not require admission in the hospital. "After surgery, patient is discharged the same day. Hence, the low number of beds," he explained. In 2023-24, the OPD had received 1.23 lakh new patients, with the total footfall-old and new-crossing 3.09 lakh. In the new building, of the six floors, two will be allocated to the drug de-addiction centre, while the remaining will serve the ophthalmology department. Two connecting corridors will be built between the old and new buildings on the second and third floors. Established almost two decades ago in 2006, AEC currently houses eight special clinics, six operation theatres, state-of-the-art machines, labs and an emergency unit on 1,10,000 square foot area. "The expansion marks the centre's second phase of development, meant to address the rising patient load," said deputy director administration Pankaj Rai....