BHUBANESWAR: With the State expecting over five lakh migrant workers, pilgrims, professionals and students from coronavirus-hit areas, plans are afoot to ramp up health infrastructure and set up more Covid hospitals. Reliable sources said Odisha Government is planning to add 4,000 more beds including 650 ICU beds in Covid Hospitals in 20 districts besides adding 34,000 isolation beds in Covid Care Centres across the districts.
The State has, so far, set up 35 stand-alone Covid Hospitals with 5,900 isolation beds including about 370 ICU beds. However, the Centre has estimated the peak requirement to be higher than the existing capacity in many districts. To meet the need, additional health infrastructure is being planned at Jharsuguda, Sambalpur, Deogarh, Sundargarh, Keonjhar, Balasore, Bhadrak, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Cuttack, Jajpur, Dhenkanal, Khurda, Puri, Ganjam, Gajapati, Kalahandi, Rayagada, Koraput and Malkangiri.
Plans for Cuttack include 1,100 beds including 115 ICU beds in hospitals and 5200 beds in care centres followed by 600 beds each in Sundargarh (98 in ICU) and Ganjam (85 in ICU) in hospitals and 4200 beds each in care centres, 210 isolation beds (21 in ICU) in hospitals and 1200 beds in care centres of Kendrapara. While 14 of the 20 districts have reported Covid-19 positive cases so far, Jajpur, Khurda, Balasore, Bhadrak and Sundargarh are worst affected.
Development Commissioner Suresh Chandra Mohapatra said all Collectors and Municipal Commissioners have been asked to identify facilities for enhancing capacities of Covid Hospitals and care centres that can be made operational at a short notice. The Government is planning to increase the capacity of existing Covid Hospitals apart from exploring other options with minimum investment. All existing and additional planned beds will be equipped with oxygen support.
Although 30 to 40 per cent ICU beds are expected to be equipped with ventilators, Odisha State Medical Corporation has been directed to make arrangements for oxygen cylinders and ventilator support.
Steps have already been taken to have adequate number of oxygen cylinders and oxygen refilling stations. The Covid hospitals will have a protocol for dedicating transport vehicles and other procedures for ensuring daily refilling of orygen cylinders.
Meanwhile, a UN and WHO team visited 11 Covid Hospitals and suggested some areas of improvement. A standard technical protocol is being prepared to be followed by all Covid Hospitals. The team will visit the rest 24 hospitals soon. The team will also provide templates for the preparation of plans for hospital and waste management, fire safety and evacuation, social counselling and other procedures which the hospitals need to follow. Patients with mild symptoms will be kept in care centres if there is unprecedented surge in number of cases. Hotels, school and college hostels having single occupancy rooms and attached toilets will be converted into such care centres.