The departments of neurology, orthopaedics, ophthalmology and women''s health are set to become operational at the Mulund cardiac hospital of Wockhardt Hospitals Ltd (WHL) from January 1, 2003.

According to a source, the establishment of the cardiac hospital was part of the first phase of the project in Mulund. The new departments are coming in as part of the second phase.

The Mulund hospital is Wockhardt''s largest, with 220 beds and six operation theatres. Wockhardt Hospitals has an alliance with Harvard Medical International (HMI) to provide technical and training inputs to ensure contemporary medical care at the Mulund hospital.

The hospital in Mulund is the first specialty hospital in the central suburbs of Mumbai. It is a multi specialty hospital focussing initially on cardiology and cardiothoracic surgery. Its strategic location will be a major healthcare provider meeting the needs of approximately 4.5 lakh million-population spread over Mulund, Bhandup, Ghatkopar, Chembur, Ulhasnagar, Kalyan, Thane and Navi Mumbai.

Wockhardt is successfully running two other specialties hospitals in India - The Wockhardt Hospital & Heart Institute at Bangalore and Wockhardt Hospital & Kidney Institute at Kolkatta. These two hospitals are regarded as centres of excellence in specialty fields of cardiology and urology.

An eight-member customer care centre dominates the entrance. Carefully selected and trained customer care staff, with online connectivity to each department of the hospital, are well equipped to guide patients and their relatives on matters such as admittance, progress and recovery and billing. The Mulund hospital has made the best use of information technology to enhance service standards by cutting down paper work, possibilities of error and time spent by patients and their relatives.