Bhubaneswar: At a time when the threat of coronavirus looms large across the country, the state government Thursday announced to come up with the biggest dedicated hospital to manage COVID-19 patients in Bhubaneswar.
The Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) Thursday informed the media that it has decided to come up with 1000 beds in two hospitals to manage cases of COVID-19. The hospitals will be ready within a fortnight as the state signed Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) with two leading private hospital and government PSUs.
The Odisha government Thursday signed two tripartite MoUs with Kalinga Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS), Bhubaneswar and Orissa Mining Corporation (OMC). The other MoU was signed among the state, SUM Hospital and Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd (MCL) to facilitate 1000-bedded COVID hospitals in the state, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has also directed to bring more such facilities to other parts of the state.
A release from the CMO Thursday said, “The state government has signed two tripartite agreements with SUM and KIMS Medical Colleges Thursday to set up 1000 bedded state level hospitals in Bhubaneswar for treatment of COVID 19 patients.”
It also added, “These hospitals will be the State facility for Covid 19 treatment. OMC and MCL will provide the CSR funding for the purpose. Both the new facilities will be functional in a fortnight,” a statement from the CMO said.
The first MoU was signed by the state government, OMC and KIMS management while the second one was signed among state government, MCL and SUM Hospital. While under the MoU with KIMS it will add 450 beds the later MoU with SUM Hospital will ensure 500 new beds dedicated to COVID management. It will also have the facilities of ICU.
A statement from the CMO said, “The conventional standard response to handling this novel virus is inadequate. The global experience shows that COVID 19 patients need to be put under observation and treatment in a separate hospital instead of a general hospital: thus minimizing the chance of transmission to others.”