Assam govt dedicates new super-specialty hospital to Covid-19 patients

The four-storey hospital — a new super-specialty block of the Guwahati Medical College and Hospital — was completed at a cost of Rs 150 crores and comprises 236 beds, including 50 ICU beds.

As Assam braces for a spike in COVID-19 cases, the government on Friday dedicated a recently completed super-specialty hospital for treating symptomatic patients infected with the novel coronavirus.

The four-storey hospital — a new super-specialty block of the Guwahati Medical College and Hospital — was completed at a cost of Rs 150 crores and comprises 236 beds, including 50 ICU beds. The hospital is equipped with operation theatres and if any patient requiring surgery — who is also Covid positive — can be operated here.

“The new unit at GMCH is centrally air-conditioned and equipped with 14 Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation (UGVI) System, which will help in improving indoor air quality and bacteria management. Each bed has a dedicated supply of medical gas,” state health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said. The UV radiation system has been imported from Canada.

Speaking to reporters at the inauguration, Sarma said that the hospital was intended to be housing six super-specialty departments but with the outbreak of the pandemic, the state government decided to convert it into a fully Covid hospital as of now. As the patient count increases in the state, the government is readying more government hospitals for solely treating Covid patients.

“After the coronavirus pandemic ends,  the hospital will go back to serving its original purpose,” Sarma said.

Till Friday noon, Assam reported a total 910 Covid cases — 800 out of them are active. The state has tested nearly 90,000 samples as of now. Sarma said that there was nothing to panic since the state is comfortably equipped to treat 5,000 patients at a time.

When asked about the relaxations and lockdown in the state in the coming days, Sarma said that the final decisions would be taken by the Centre, but the state government prefers to continue with the night curfew for some time.

Moreover, the Assam government has announced that it would disburse full salaries and pensions for the month of May.