Ad hoc Covid hospitals to treat other patients

GURUGRAM: Temporary Covid hospitals with oxygen beds set up in the district will now be also used for treating non-Covid patients, said officials on Friday.

Though the total number of fresh cases has dropped in Gurugram significantly, the district administration said these hospitals will not be dismantled as they have all the facilities needed to treat critical patients.

“Even though the Covid caseload is seeing a dip, we have decided that these temporary hospitals will not be dismantled as we are expecting another wave, and the government hospital is under construction. Some of the hospitals, like the 100-bed government facility at Tau Devi Lal stadium, were built with ICUs, ventilators, and oxygen supply, so non-Covid patients can also be treated,” according to Gurugram deputy commissioner (DC) Yash Garg said.

As the only government hospital in the city — Civil Hospital — is being expanded and is under construction, officials said these temporary facilities will be used to fill the gap. Currently, patients undergoing treatment in Civil Hospital are often referred to hospitals in other districts due to lack of proper infrastructure.

On May 17, Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar had inaugurated facilities with a total of 300 beds across Gurugram to fight the ongoing pandemic. The facility at Tau Devi Lal stadium was set up with the aim to handle patients from rural areas that were witnessing a gradual surge in the infections.

Now, the district administration is trying to increase the number of health care professionals working at these centres.