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Hindu Rao hospital to take a week to turn into dedicated Covid-19 facility
Hindu Rao Hospital authorities said that preparations are still on to convert the hospital into a completely dedicated Covid-19 facility.
The North Delhi Municipal Corporation’s Hindu Rao Hospital will take around a week to start functioning as Covid-19 dedicated facility, mayor North civic body Avtar Singh said on Tuesday.
He said that no Covid-19 patient was admitted at the hospital on Tuesday. The fever clinic and the facility for Covid-19 sampling were also started on Tuesday.
“Before dedicating the hospital for Covid only treatment, we will have to boost health infrastructure at the hospital accordingly. We need more beds with oxygen support, ventilators. We require at least 10,000 PPE kits to prepare for Covid treatment. We are making arrangements and preparations but it will take around a week’s time,” the mayor said. He said that the decision was taken in a late Tuesday evening meeting with hospital authorities.
The hospital authorities said that preparations are still on to convert the hospital into a completely dedicated Covid-19 facility. They said that works related to the creation of separate ICUs, isolation wards, procurement of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits and preparation of the Covid-19 duty roster of doctors and nursing staff were also being done. The hospital administration had, on Monday, suspended OPD services, due to which many non-Covid patients, who did not know that the hospital was being converted into a Covid-19 dedicated facility, had run from pillar to post to avail themselves of treatment on Tuesday.
Later in the evening, the hospital administration circulated an order saying that the OPD facility would resume. “OPD and emergency services will run in Hindu Rao Hospital till further orders [sic],” an order issued by the hospital administration read.
A senior functionary at the hospital explained that the Hindu Rao Hospital caters to a large population of north Delhi, so it was not possible to suddenly shut OPD services for non-Covid patients. “The hospital is yet to start admitting Covid-19 patients as there are several arrangements to be made. Separate ICUs for suspected and positive cases are to be made, more PPE kits are to be procured, a donning and doffing area for PPE kits is to be made and a Covid-19 related duty roster for doctors and nursing staff is yet to be prepared. So, the OPD can be run till the hospital starts operating as a fully dedicated Covid-19 facility,” the functionary said, requesting anonymity.
According to hospital authorities, 25-30 Covid-19 samples were collected on Tuesday, despite there being no Covid-19 related admission at the hospital.
Jai Prakash, chairperson, standing committee, North Corporation, on Tuesday inspected Hindu Rao Hospital to check for Covid-19 preparedness. Prakash inspected the Covid-19 sampling centre and the facilities in the wards.
He said that the hospital has readied 200 beds for Covid-19 patients, and will add 300 beds later. “The casualty ward has been converted into a Covid-19 ward and a flu clinic has been started, keeping in view the situation. Further, arrangements are being made for doctors and nurses to stay on the hospital premises,” he said.
Prakash said that efforts are being made to complete the remaining preparations before the hospital starts functioning as a fully dedicated Covid-19 facility.
The Delhi government had on Sunday declared the hospital as Covid-19 dedicated hospital and had directed the civic body to make all necessary preparations and start the treatment of Covid-19 patients from Tuesday.