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Ludhiana’s Jawaddi school, health centre to get 100 beds for critical patients
Both the sites have been turned into Level-2 Covid care facilities; deputy commissioner Varinder Kumar Sharma directs officials to install piped oxygen supply, beds, ACs, and complete other compulsory requirements at the sites
With hospitals in district reaching full capacity and kin of Covid patients running from pillar to post to find vacant beds, the Ludhiana administration has decided to add 100 Level-2 beds (50 each) to the Covid care facility set up at Government Meritorious School and community health centre (CHC) in Jawaddi.
The financial hub of Punjab has become the Covid capital of the state by clocking around 1,500 cases on an average for the last three days and recording a high number of daily deaths.
The rising cases have stretched the health infrastructure in the city with patients and their relatives desperately hunting for L-2 facilities.
Deputy commissioner Varinder Kumar Sharma on Monday directed the officials to run the centres at Jawaddi as Level-2 Covid (critical care) facility and asked them to install piped oxygen supply, beds, ACs, and complete other compulsory requirements at both the sites.
Sharma said both the facilities have the necessary infrastructure and these must be utilised for the treatment of critical patients to reduce the load on other hospitals and helping them to convert their Level-2 beds to ICU ones.
He also visited the sites and issued necessary directions to the officials, while asking them to ensure that the Covid facility at Jawaddi health centre starts by Thursday (May 6) and meritorious school by next Monday.
Councillor Mamta Ashu said the entire team of her husband and cabinet minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu was committed to providing best healthcare services to people. Mamta said she was personally monitoring the entire situation and more such Level-2 facilities would be set up in other parts of the district as well.
DC Sharma said the infrastructure at both the buildings was being upgraded by roping in industrial associations such as Chamber of Industrial and Commercial Undertakings (CICU), which is funding the installation of piped oxygen supply lines.
Sharma said that district administration was fully geared up to meet any situation arising due to the pandemic and there was no dearth of resources — neither oxygen, nor other necessary drugs.
He said the administration needed the active support of the public to tackle the devastating second wave of Covid-19. He urged the people to exercise restraint and not panic due to any reason, besides strictly adhering to norms of social distancing, masking, and hand hygiene.
CICU president Upkar Singh Ahuja said the country was going through quite tough times and it was their duty to come forward and help in controlling the pandemic.
“Covid cases are increasing day by day and our hospitals are finding it hard to provide beds. Keeping in view this situation, CICU is taking initiative by providing support to set up 50+ bed hospital with proper oxygen pipeline and all other equipment required at the meritorious school as it is located at a strategic location. It is close to a big hospital and critical patients can be shifted there easily,” he added.
Municipal councillor Mamta Ashu, ADC (G) Amarjit Bains, SDM (West) Amrinder Singh Malhi, civil surgeon Dr Kiran Ahluwalia Gill, and DMCH expert Dr Bishav Mohan were also present.
Meanwhile, following DC’s appeal to industry to return the oxygen cylinders, the industries/factories of the city gave 91 oxygen cylinders, including 17 filled. All 17 filled cylinders were immediately given to civil hospital.
DC Sharma said they (industrialists) have upheld the tradition of Punjabis to help the people in despair.
He also appealed to other industries/factories to come forward and give oxygen cylinders, either empty or filled.
The DC said the administration has already ramped up the oxygen generation capacity.
Nodal officer Harpreet Singh Sekhon said thatany industry/factory can contact him on his mobile number (83901-00001) for cylinders.
Amid the steep rise in the demand for medical oxygen, district magistrate-cum-DC Varinder Kumar Sharma had set up an 11-member committee to inspect and collect the cylinders. This committee is headed by GLADA chief administrator Parminder Singh Gill, besides ADCP Jaskaran Singh Teja, PPCB SE Sandeep Behal, executive engineer Manohar Lal, assistant labour Commissioner Baljeet Singh, besides others.
