BARIPADA: A day after inauguration of the 200-bed COVID-19 hospital at Baripada, Chief Secretary Asit Tripathy and 5T Secretary VK Pandian visited the facility and reviewed preparedness of the district administration in dealing with the pandemic and lockdown on Thursday.
The hospital that has come up on the premises of Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences at Bankisole in Baripada, will provide free treatment to COVID patients. The senior officials directed the district administration to conduct more tests on a daily basis and ensure complete lockdown to break the chain of the infection. No positive case has been reported from district yet. As per official reports, at least 280 samples had been collected till April 15 of which, 198 were found negative and reports of rest 82 are awaited.
Collector Vineet Bhardwaj informed the officials about issues relating to the lockdown, facilitating agricultural, MGNREGS works and other activities that have been exempted from the lockdown. They asked Bhardwaj to ensure social distancing during farming and MGNREGS works.
Later in the day, Tripathy and Pandian also reviewed functioning of the facility at Balasore which was inaugurated on April 13. Managed by Jyoti hospital, the facility has a 120 beds including 12 ICUs.
They then visited the COVID-19 hospital at Keonjhar which is in its final stages of construction. The hospital will also have 200 beds. The senior officials held a meeting with Keonjhar Collector Ashish Thakre on facilities to be provided to patients at the facility that is coming up at Anwesha hospital at Ranki. Thakre informed that household survey has already started in all blocks and ULBs of Keonjhar to trace out suspected cases.