LUCKNOW, Oct. 5 -- The state government announced a major expansion of advanced healthcare infrastructure in Ayodhya, featuring a digital hub-and-spoke ICU network linking the local medical college with SGPGIMS, Lucknow. Deputy chief minister and health minister Brajesh Pathak unveiled the plans during the concluding session of the 3rd National Conference of the Indian Society of Intensive Care and Perioperative Medicine (ISICPM 2026) on Sunday. The initiative aims to strengthen the city's critical care capacity to support the surging influx of pilgrims and tourists, reducing the need for patients to travel to Lucknow for specialised treatment. Under the new model, the Ayodhya Medical College ICU will be digitally linked to SGPGIMS, allowing intensive-care teams at the premier institute to assist with real-time monitoring and bed tracking. Pathak also announced the initiation of dedicated centers for neurology, nephrology and gastroenterology, along with a state-of-the-art cardiac catheterisation laboratory (cath lab) for emergency cardiac interventions. To ensure 24/7 staffing, the government confirmed plans for residential facilities on the medical college campus for faculty, nurses and paramedical personnel. The three-day conference, held from October 2 to 4 at Rajarshi Dashrath Autonomous State Medical College, was organised by the department of anaesthesiology and intensive care, SGPGIMS, in collaboration with the Ayodhya medical college. It brought together over 200 doctors and residents to discuss the "One Clinic, One Team, One Plan" model, which seeks to integrate pre-operative, operative and post-operative care into a seamless treatment journey. The event concluded with academic sessions, expert lectures and visits to historic sites. htc...