Lucknow: Patients with rare genetic disorders, advanced cancers, autoimmune diseases, organ failure and complex neurological diseases, who currently travel to other states or abroad for specialised treatment, may soon be able to access such care in Lucknow.The Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS) on Tuesday unveiled its ‘SGPGIMS 2.0’ roadmap, which includes the establishment of India’s first quaternary healthcare centre — a level of care beyond tertiary hospitals that focuses on rare, highly complex and referral-based cases.The proposed centre will offer advanced treatments such as gene and cell therapy, immune therapy, precision medicine, multi-organ transplantation and specialised cancer care, bringing several cutting-edge therapies to UP.Announcing the plan at the institute’s convocation, SGPGIMS director Prof RK Dhiman said the expansion would also include a paediatric super-specialty centre and an advanced paediatric cardiac centre.“Quaternary healthcare goes beyond tertiary care, focusing on uncommon and highly complex diseases through advanced technology, research, innovation and national referral services,” Dhiman said.The proposed 600-bed quaternary healthcare centre will house 11 specialised streams, including multi-organ transplantation, gene and cell therapy, precision medicine, advanced cancer care and perioperative medicine. The project has entered its first phase and is expected to involve investments of around Rs 5,000 crore from govt in multiple stages.Referring to UP’s large child population, Dhiman said the institute is setting up a dedicated paediatric super-specialty centre for the treatment of complex childhood illnesses. The first phase, scheduled to begin in Oct, will comprise 12 departments, 293 beds, 70 faculty members, 200 resident doctors and 1,540 paramedical staff. The second phase will add 200 beds, taking the total capacity to 500.The institute is also expanding paediatric cardiac care. According to SGPGIMS, over 1,000 children in UP are born every year with congenital heart defects, but only a fraction receive timely treatment. The first phase of the paediatric cardiac centre is already operational with 30 beds, including six ICU beds and a dedicated operation theatre, and has performed more than 300 surgeries. The second phase, expected to be completed by 2028, will add 200 beds and increase the centre’s capacity to 5,000 surgeries annually.SGPGIMS is also strengthening its multi-organ transplant programme to improve organ utilisation from deceased donors. The institute recently retrieved multiple organs, including the liver and corneas, from a single donor for transplantation.As part of the expansion, SGPGIMS will introduce a comprehensive electronic medical record (EMR) system to digitise patient records, prescriptions and diagnostic requests. The system will also facilitate digital payments and integrate hospital services.Dhiman said the ‘SGPGIMS 2.0’ roadmap aims to strengthen advanced patient care, research, medical education and digital healthcare while reducing the need for patients from UP to travel outside the state for specialised treatment.