Concurring with the need for a phase-wise increase in the number of beds at the Government Wenlock District Hospital, which gets patients from across the State and Keralam, the State Cabinet on Friday approved an increase of the hospital’s beds by 200 in the first phase of expansion work.

Briefing the media on the Cabinet decisions, Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara said the hospital had been permitted to procure the necessary equipment and recruit personnel for the additional beds.

Presently, the hospital has a sanctioned bed strength of 905 against a total of 1,088 functional beds.

Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and Mr. Parameshwara said the Cabinet had approved setting up units of the Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research and the Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology in Mangaluru.