How Telangana put together a 1,500-bed hospital in 20 days
Amid the coronavirus outbreak, the Telangana government has established a 1,500-bed hospital dedicated to patients of COVID-19. Work on the hospital started just 20 days ago and already the facility is all set to start admitting patients. About 1,000 workers toiled for three weeks to get the hospital ready within the challenging timeframe. Here's how they did it.
Government refurbished 14-story tower at Gachibowli sports complex
The hospital has actually been set up at an old 14-story tower that has been refurbished. The tower is located at the Gachibowli sports complex, which hosted the 2003 Afro-Asian Games. A senior government official involved in the execution of the healthcare center told PTI that the building was constructed back in 2002 and only its first seven floors were used a decade ago.
Building had poor or no amenities
The official said the other six floors were in a semi-finished condition and were never used. Further, the official said the building either had poor or no amenities available for water, sanitation, and plumbing.
TSMSIDC, Medical and Health Department refurbished building
Once the state government allowed for the building to be refurbished, the Telangana State Medical Services Infrastructure Development Corporation (TSMSIDC) took up the project. It worked in coordination with the state Medical and Health Department. Reportedly, multiple wings of the TSMSIDC, including the surgical and the amenities wings, worked together on a floor-management basis. Gas and oxygen pipelines were simultaneously connected.
Hospital has 1,500 beds, 50 ICU beds
The said government official told PTI that the hospital now has the capacity of 1,500 beds, including 50 intensive care unit (ICU) beds. The hospital has four lifts and four more will be made functional in a few days. Another official told PTI that as many as 400 doctors and double the nursing staff can work at the hospital.
Hospital will later be converted into super-specialty facility: Telangana CM
Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao said on Sunday that once the coronavirus crisis is over, the hospital will be converted into a super-specialty facility called the Telangana Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (TIMS). TSMSIDC Managing Director Chandrasekhar Reddy said that the corporation will also take up the task of converting the hospital into the super-specialty facility Rao envisioned.
Telangana reports 928 COVID-19 cases, 23 deaths
As on Tuesday, Telangana had reported a total of 928 cases of COVID-19, including 23. No new deaths were reported on Tuesday. The state has 711 active cases and 194 people have recovered from the viral disease. CM Rao has already announced that the ongoing lockdown in the state will remain effective till May 7, four days beyond the nationwide outbreak.
