The 175 year-old Madras Medical College, now functioning in the Government General Hospital complex here, would be shifted a new, ‘world class’ eight storeyed complex, to be built near the hospital on a ten acre site where the central prison once stood.

Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, who had allocated the ten acre site for the expansion of General Hospital, after the central prison was shifted to suburban Puzhal, changed his decision and decided to build the Medical College in that site.

The new eight-storeyed building with a space of 41,934 sq.m.

would be built at a cost of Rs 70 crore and tenders would be invited to select the builder by third week of next month, an official press release here said.

The Chief Minister has decided to shift the Medical College to a new multi-storeyed building, taking into consideration the fact that the existing buildings in the college were more than 100 years old and the problems faced by general public and patients, who visited the hospital, the release said.

It said the first four floors of the proposed new building would be alloted to all Medical courses. The fifth floor would have lecture halls for Medical and Para-Medical courses, while the sixth floor would be alloted for para-medical courses, the release said.

The seventh floor would be for nursing courses and the eight floor will have examination hall for all students, it said.

After the Medical college is shifted to the new building, the space would be utilised for expanding the General Hospital, it said.

When expanded, space would be provided to maintain archives and rare photos, the release said.

The 2,722 bed General Hospital, located on a 30 acre site, opposite the Central Railway station, is also 175 year-old and visited by about 12,000 patients a day. The attached Madras Medical College had 2,000 students.

The Madras Medical College was established on February 2, 1835 and is the oldest in India, along with the Medical College in Kolkata.