E-Paper
Rakshaknagar–Kharadi Covid centre plays key role in isolating symptomatic patients
The PMC has advised mildly symptomatic patients to home isolate, many don’t have the facility for home isolation
The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has begun four Covid-19 care centres (CCC) to treat mildly symptomatic patients and keep them isolated. The Rakshaknagar-Kharadi centre plays an important role to provide relief to symptomatic patients of the Ahmednagar road area.
Though, the PMC has advised mildly symptomatic patients to home isolate, many don’t have the facility for home isolation. Therefore, the PMC has started the four centres which consists of a total 1,200 isolation beds. These centres don’t have oxygen facilities. Thecentres provide proper food medicine and isolation facilities to Covid-19 symptomatic patients.
The Kharadi Covid centre, until recently, was the only Covid centre operating in the city.
With the rising number of Covid-19 cases, the PMC started Gangadham (Katraj), Bankar School (Hadapsar) and Sant Dyneshwar government hostel (Vishrantwadi).
Rakshaknagar-Kharadi centre has been operating from the first week of March with a capacity of 250 isolation beds. There is a swab centre and daily, a total of 250-300 swabs are collected.
Dr Tirupati Panchal, ward medical officer Rakshaknagar-Kharadi centre said, “We provide basic medicine, isolation facilities. We have a staff of nine doctors and six nurses. Till date, more than 600 patients have recovered and been discharged from the centre.”
At present, there are 236 patients admitted to the centre.
“We are admitting patients from Vadgaonsheri, Vimannagar, Kharadi, Chandannagar, and Wagholi,” Panchal said.
Bhaiyyasaheb Jadhav, local corporator of Nationalist Congress party (NCP) said, “Rakshaknagar centre is providing good isolation facility to needy patients. However, there is no oxygen bed. So, we have asked the PMC commissioner and chief health officer to provide an oxygen bed facility.”
Devidas Deshpande, who was discharged from the centre, said, “When I tested positive, I approached the PMC and they advised me to stay at the Kharadi Covid centre as it was the only centre operating in the city. The centre is spacious, it has good ventilation. In one hall, there are six patients. PMC provides the meals. Doctors visit regularly for check-ups. Overall, it was a good experience.”
