Chandigarh Medical Hub Funding Denied by Centre

Chandigarh's ambitious Rs 2,154 crore regional medical hub project has encountered a significant setback as the Union ministry of health and family welfare has refused financial assistance. The UT administration has been instructed to utilize its own budgetary resources for the development of the 1,000-bed facility. This decision comes as a surprise to the administration, which had sought funding through various channels.

The proposed medical hub in Sector 53, planned on 10 acres, is designed to include a 500-bed centre for women and child health care and a 500-bed centre for super-speciality care, along with academic and research infrastructure. The project aims to serve a population of around 50 million people from Chandigarh, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir, addressing a critical shortage of public sector super-speciality beds and advanced healthcare facilities in the region.

Past deliberations, including meetings on November 21, 2024, and December 26, 2024, highlighted the pressing need for enhanced healthcare infrastructure. A decisive meeting on November 11, 2025, attended by senior officials, aimed to finalize the proposal. However, the latest communication from the health ministry emphasizes that if a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model is considered, approval from the Department of Economic Affairs is mandatory.