GUWAHATI, June 10: A 300-bed COVID Care Hospital built in collaboration with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) at Sarusajai Sports Complex here has been made ready in less than a month’s time.
In addition, a 20-bed ICU and 32 oxygen-supported beds are also ready to cater patients at Kalapahar COVID Care Hospital.
Inaugurating the new facilities here on Thursday, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that with these additional ICU and oxygen-supported beds, COVID-19 treatment at the MMC Hospital in Panbazar and Singimari Hospital, on the outskirts of the city, would come to a halt and that they could cater to non-COVID patients.
“Moreover, more COVID patients from other parts of lower Assam and central Assam can be accommodated at GMCH as another 200 ICU beds are coming up there in the next 10 days,” Sarma said.
Commenting on the new DRDO-assisted facility at Sarusajai, he said the development was a significant step in the state’s fight against COVID-19.
“With adequate ICU beds and oxygen at our disposal, we can ensure effective treatment. We are therefore grateful to DRDO India for having been a generous partner in this critical project, which has been made ready in a short span of time. This also is a fine example of Centre-state collaboration,” he said.
Constructed at a cost of Rs 21.46 crore, the hospital will act as an annex to the Guwahati Medical College and Hospital and fortify Assam’s COVID management capabilities, besides easing the burden on other hospitals of the state.
The 300-bed hospital is equipped with a liquid oxygen tank to ensure continuous supply of oxygen to patients. The tank will be refilled weekly.
“The hospital will have a life span of five years which can be further extended. It has 100 ICU beds while oxygen facilities can be made available to the other 200 beds as well,” the chief minister said.