ICU is highly specified and sophisticated area of a hospital which is specifically designed, staffed, located, furnished and equipped, dedicated to management of critically sick patient, injuries or complications. It is a department with dedicated medical, nursing and allied staff. It operates with defined policies; protocols and procedures should have its own quality control, education, training and research programme’s. It is emerging as a separate specialty and can no longer be regarded purely as part of anesthesia, Medicine, surgery or any other specialty.

In India the scenario of ICU development is fast catching up and after initiatives, promotion, education and training programme’s of ISCCM during last 15 yrs, there has been stupendous growth in this area but much needs to be done in area of infrastructure, human resource development, protocol, guidelines formation and research which are relevant to Indian circumstances. An acceptable and logistically feasible no compromise can be made on quality and health care delivery to critically sick, yet an acceptable guidelines can be adopted for making ICU designing guidelines which may be good for both rural and urban areas as also for smaller and tertiary centers which may include teaching and non teaching institutes.