Amid the growing need for modern hospitals in the country, an ambitious plan to train specialized engineers and architects for the healthcare sector has failed to take off even after two decades.
The announcement to establish the National Institute of Healthcare Engineering and Architecture (NIHEA) at PGI was made in 2006. The expectation was that the institute would produce specialists capable of designing superior hospitals, ensuring safe construction, and planning modern healthcare facilities. However, even after 20 years, the project remains confined to files and meetings.
In 2007, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare directed PGI to set up the institute and assured an annual budget of up to ₹7 crore. The plan envisaged launching specialized master’s degree courses in areas such as Health Facility Planning and Design, and Healthcare Engineering and Management.
The objective of these courses was to groom specialists who could plan, construct, and technically manage hospitals and develop healthcare infrastructure in line with international standards.
However, the project faced uncertainty from the very beginning. According to an audit report, the Standing Finance Committee halted the proposal in 2014, citing a lack of clarity regarding PGI’s role. Later, the Governing Body also acknowledged that establishing such an institute did not fall within PGI’s core mandate.
Despite this, several attempts were made to advance the plan. Between 2016 and 2021, various committees made recommendations—such as launching master’s degree courses instead of an MBA, developing curricula in collaboration with Punjab Engineering College (PEC), Chandigarh College of Architecture, and UIET, and adopting the joint model used by AIIMS-Jodhpur and IIT-Jodhpur. Yet, despite these suggestions, the project failed to secure final approval. In March 2024, the Standing Finance Committee reiterated that the establishment of the NIEHA did not fall within the core mandate of the PGI. The committee suggested that it would be more appropriate to set up such an institute at institutions like IIT Ropar or the Chandigarh College of Architecture.
**No resolution for the project despite proposals and committees**
The audit report has raised questions regarding the entire process. The fact that the project failed to materialize despite two decades of meetings, proposals, and committees illustrates how crucial healthcare initiatives often get entangled in administrative procedures.
Had this institute been established on time, the country could have gained a new generation of specialists specifically trained in hospital construction and healthcare infrastructure. Even today, this ambitious project remains stuck in the files, awaiting implementation.
