Hyderabad, April 26 : In a major initiative to provide healthcare services in all four corners of Hyderabad, Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Tuesday laid foundation for three super specialty hospitals to be constructed at a cost of Rs 2,679 crore. To be called Telangana Institute Medical Sciences (TIMS), these super specialty hospitals are coming up in Alwal, Gaddiannaram and Erragadda on the lines of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). KCR, as the chief minister is popularly known, along with health minister T. Harish Rao travelled to three different areas in the city to perform 'bhumi pooja' for the hospitals, which will provide free healthcare services to people at par with the corporate hospitals. With these three facilities, the number of TIMS hospitals in the city will go up to four. TIMS at Gachibowli has been functioning for more than a year. Each of the three new hospitals will come at a cost of nearly Rs 900 crore with 1,000 beds and built-up area of 13.71 lakh square feet. The building at Alwal will be G+5 while it will be G+14 storied buildings at Gaddiannaram and Erragadda. Addressing a public meeting at Alwal, CM KCR said since the population of urban agglomeration under the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) limits has gone up to 1.24 crore, the government has embarked on setting up super specialty hospitals in all four corners of the city. These hospitals will be autonomous institutions like AIIMS, offering services in 16 specialties and 15 super specialties. These facilities will also offer post-graduate courses in these specialties and super specialties and also nursing and paramedical education. Each hospital will have 30 departments, 200 faculty members and 500 resident doctors, 26 operation theatres and residential quarters for faculty and resident doctors. KCR said since the danger of a pandemic like Covid breaking out again can't be ruled out, these hospitals would go a long way in strengthening the healthcare system. The chief minister said these hospitals would take the number of total beds in government-run hospitals in Hyderabad to 6,000 including 1,500 ICU beds. Health minister Harish Rao said the government has take several measures during last seven years to expand and strengthen public healthcare system in the state. He said in addition to primary health centres, district hospitals at secondary level and medical college hospitals, the government has embarked on adding two tiers to make it a five-tier system. Under preventive health services, basti and palle dawakhanas were opened in urban and rural areas respectively while TIMS hospitals are being set up under super specialty services. Harish Rao said when Telangana was formed, there were only five medical colleges in the government sector. The number has now gone up to 17 with eight of them sanctioned in 2021. He said 16 new medical colleges would be established in next two years. There will be one medical college in each of the 33 districts. /IANS