The Centre has allocated Rs 2,559.65 crore to the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) in Chandigarh in the Union Budget 2026-27, an increase of Rs 141.79 crore (4.4%) over Rs 2,400 crore, the revised estimates of the previous financial year.
In the 2025-26 fiscal, the PGI was allocated a budget of Rs 2,417.86 crore; Rs 2,400 crore in 2024-25, and Rs 2,225 crore in 2023-24. Thus, the Rs 2,559.65 crore allocation is the highest so far.
The 2026-27 budget is aimed at meeting expenses related to patient care, staff salaries and infrastructure development at the institute. Of the total allocation, Rs 390 crore has been earmarked for the creation of capital assets, including new buildings, medical equipment and machinery.
An amount of Rs 1,450 crore has been allocated under grant-in-aid for salaries, while Rs 550 crore has been provided under grant-in-aid (general) to meet operational expenses. In addition, Rs 10 crore has been allocated under the Special Assistance Programme (SAP) head.
According to PGI officials, this is the initial budget allocation and additional funds are usually released through supplementary grants during November or December. Any further allocation will depend on expenditure patterns during the year and emerging requirements of the institute, they said.
PGI Director Prof Vivek Lal has outlined a focused roadmap for 2026 to strengthen healthcare delivery, education and outreach, and an increased budget allocation will accelerate key plans, including a state-of-the-art Advanced Neurosciences Block, a comprehensive Maternal and Child Care Centre, and a dedicated Critical Care Block to enhance emergency and life-saving services. The Neurosciences block awaits a CT and MRI, and operations are expected to start in April this year.
“We will start with the OPD first, and later the Emergency services here,” said Pankaj Rai, Deputy Director, Administration.
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PGI also proposes to establish an MBBS undergraduate medical college to build future medical leadership. To strengthen trauma response, two modern trauma centres are planned at Sarangpur. Additionally, satellite centres at Una and Ferozepur will decentralise tertiary care, improve regional access, and reduce patient burden here at PGI, Chandigarh.
About the establishment of the 150-bedded Critical Care Block (CCB) at PGI, Chandigarh, Prof Lal said, “CCB was to be set up in 12 central government hospitals/ institutions under Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission, and PGI is one of the institutes.”
“With all the clearances in place, work has started on this very important project,” Rai said.
In 2022, the PGI standing finance committee approved the replacement of the Hospital Information System (HIS) 1.0 with HIS 2.0. With an increasing patient load, daily OPDs are witnessing more than 10,000 patients from across the region, with a high number of referrals and patients from Punjab. The upgrade is planned soon. It promises to reduce long queues for registration, paying bills, tracking test reports, and obtaining appointments, among other benefits, and aims to transform patient care and reduce patient waiting times.
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The upgraded software project would include new features to be introduced steadily, for online appointments, a mobile app for accessing hospital services, QR code systems for registration by scanning instead of standing in long queues, and a mobile app to access hospital services.
“The pilot project has already started in Sangrur, and we hope to implement it here in a couple of months,” Rai added.
