Chandigarh admn, PGI not on same page about converting Infosys Sarai into Covid Hospital

Administration twice in its press statements has said that Infosys Sarai will be developed as a hospital for Covid-19 patients and the institute will take necessary steps in this regard

The Chandigarh administration and Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) are not on the same page regarding the conversion of The Infosys Foundation-Red Cross Sarai in Sector 12 into a 200-bed hospital for Covid-19 patients.

The administration had formally written to the PGIMER to take steps to convert Infosys Sarai, which provides patients and their attendants visiting the hospital a place to stay, into a Covid facility. However, the institute had said that its focus right now is to cater to patients already admitted to its dedicated Covid-19 wards, which have almost 400 beds.

The issue was discussed during the review meeting on Monday, too, wherein PGIMER representatives said that arrangements have already been made to accommodate around 100 more patients in private wards of the main Nehru Hospital building besides the existing dedicated Covid facility at Nehru Hospital Extension Block.

What they say

“The PGIMER had some reservations as the building is being used for the hospital staff performing Covid-19 duties. After today’s discussion, we are not insisting on converting Infosys Sarai into a hospital for now. However, we have not shelved the plan, and the PGIMER will have to convert it if Covid-19 cases increase,” said UT adviser Manoj Parida.

The UT administration twice in its press statements has said that Infosys Sarai will be developed as a hospital for Covid-19 patients and the institute will take necessary steps in this regard.

“The focus is on augmenting the facilities in the already earmarked areas and catering to patients admitted there,” said Dr Jagat Ram, director, PGIMER.

A senior doctor, on the condition of anonymity, said: “Infosys Sarai can be converted into a Covid care centre, but not a hospital. Arranging logistics for such operations needs time as well as a huge workforce, which is not available at this point of time.”