SAMBALPUR: The Pulaha Hall of Residence of VSSUT at Burla will be converted into a 500-bed hospital for coronavirus patients. All the 500 rooms of the hostel will be used for the purpose and work on readying the hosiptal set up is on in full swing. Project Director of District Rural Development Agency (DRDA), Sambalpur Sukanta Tripathy said the civil work has already begun and a target has been set to complete the hospital within one month.
All equipment and facilities will be made available for patients, he informed. Official sources said the district administration will hand over the hospital to the authorities of Veer Surendra Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (VIMSAR), Burla after completion of work. Doctors and para-medical staffs of VIMSAR will look after the pat ients admi t ted to the hospital. Currently, a Covid-19 counter out patient department (OPD) has been made operational at VIMSAR.
Around 80 to 100 patients are visiting the counter daily. Moreover, two isolation wards with 30 beds each are also functioning at VIMSAR. Meanwhile, the State Government has also planned to set up a Biosafety Level 2 (BSL- 2) laboratory at VIMSAR where coronavirus tests will be conducted. VIMSAR authorities have already sent a feasibility report to the Government for setting up the laboratory.
150-bed hospital at Paradip soon
Paradip: A dedicated 150-bed Covid-19 hospital will soon come up in Biju Yatri Nivas at Paradip. Collector Sangram Keshari Mohapatra informed that it will have 100 beds besides another 50 ICU beds with ventilators. Funds for the purpose will be met by local industries and the Paradip Port Trust as a part of their CSR initiative. “All arrangements for the hospital are being put into place and it will be made operational very soon”, the Collector said.
As on Monday, the district administration had set up 163 new isolation centres with 2,535 beds. At least 205 temporary health centers will come up in 198 panchayats of the district to deal with positive and suspected cases. Meanwhile, many fishermen from Balasore, Bhadrak and Andhra Pradesh are stranded in the Paradip fishing harbour. They are being provided food by the local administration.