At a cost of Rs 40 crore, the Ernakulam General Hospital intends to construct a new inpatient block with a capacity of at least 700 beds. District collector Renu Raj attended a recent meeting of the hospital development society (HDS), when the plan to build the facility was debated. The hospital administration is confident that the plan will be implemented, in part because they are in discussions for CSR funds rather than relying on government funding for the project, even though a final decision will be made at the upcoming meeting. A number of projects, including the construction of a new IP block, were indicated in the hospital’s previous master plan.