Fortis Healthcare Limited (FHL), a company initiated by the promoters of Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited would be setting up a chain of ICU's adopting the Hub and Spoke model in the northern regions of the country.

The company has short listed close to ten regions in and around The Fortis Heart Institute and Multispecialty Hospital at Mohali, Chandigardh which would act as the tertiary level hospital and would serve as a referral centre to the upcoming primary referral centers.

According to Dr. Ravindra Karanjekar, medical director of the hospital, this is for the first time in the country where the concept of establishing an ICU as a referral centre is being followed. "Such a concept has not yet been explored by any other provider. With a number of small referral centers coming around the central hospital, it would save the patient valuable time and he could avail of emergency care at the nearest available centre without having to travel far", said Dr Karanjekar.

The hospital has identified Ludhiana as the first primary centre where a 6-bedded ICU unit would be mobilized at a cost of Rs 1.5 crore. The other centers, which have been identified, include Bhatinda, Shahapur, Patankot, Karnal and Dehradun. All these units would be ready at a cost of Rs 1.25 crore each, revealed Dr. Karanjekar.

The above centers would be manned full time by a doctor and a registrar with assistance from other visiting physicians. All the primary centers would be linked to the tertiary centre at Mohali where expert opinion could be sort and emergency cases be attended to at the earliest, revealed Dr Karanjekar.