LUCKNOW, June 1 -- A 10-bed dedicated destitute ward at the King George's Medical University (KGMU) will come up in a month's time, confirmed the medical university's authorities on Saturday. It will help in adjusting extremely poor patients who don't have any attendants or family members. Medical superintendent of KGMU Dr Suresh Kumar confirmed that the said ward is coming up at geriatric mental health department in front of the trauma centre building. He said resident doctors as well as nurses and other staff workers will be appointed for that particular ward. Duty roasters and shifts will be allotted to ensure round-the-clock care of such patients. "So far, the destitute patients have been kept at the department concerned related to their medical issues and it creates bed constraints for regular patients. Recently, three such patients, who were receiving treatment from 5-15 years in the KGMU, were shifted to shelter homes after overcoming legal constraints," he said while stressing urgent need for the destitute ward. Dr Kumar further said the KGMU treated around 250 destitute patients in 2024-25. Of them, 175 found their guardians and went back home after treatment, but 75 others were abandoned. "Even at present, two destitute patients are under treatment at the orthopaedic ward," nodal officer for destitute patients' care," Akhilesh Kumar Tripathi said. Dr Kumar said he himself had been a resident doctor at the KGMU in 1996 and this destitute service had been going on here even before that. He said thousands of destitute patients have been treated at KGMU for the last so many decades. He said a large chunk of funds from Asadhya Rog Yojana as well as funds that the KGMU gets from the government is used in providing complete treatment and care to destitute patients. "Earlier, the rate of admission of such patients was very low. However, due to changing conditions of the society and increasing rate of road accidents, the rate of destitute patients has risen over the time," he added....