*Will be upgraded to Level 1 soon: FC
Govind Sharma
JAMMU, June 5: 200-bedded Maternity Hospital at Gandhi Nagar which was designated as Level-2 COVID Hospital by the Government about 2 months back, was fully operationalized today and is ready for intake and treatment of Corona patients.
Official sources told Excelsior that around two months back when the Coronavirus started spreading its tentacles in Jammu, Government had declared GMC Jammu and SMGS Hospital as Level-1 Hospitals, CD Hospital as Level-2 and Old building of Government Hospital, Gandhi Nagar as dedicated hospital for conducting surgeries and other treatment like dialysis of Corona positive patients while as 200-bedded Maternity Block in the premises of Government Hospital, Gandhi Nagar was declared as Level-2 Hospital.
Subsequently, the building of the Maternity Hospital was taken over by Government Medical College, Jammu to convert it into COVID Hospital Level-2 and all arrangements like laying of beds, providing specialist services, logistics and manpower, dedicated ambulances, etc was done.
However, the Hospital was not being put to use by the concerned authorities but as the Corona cases started rising in Jammu in last around 20-25 days, the authorities decided to operationalize the Hospital as CD Hospital has limited capacity of patients and some construction/repair work was going on there.
Sources said that in last one week, several back to back meetings were held to operationalize this 200-bedded Hospital and finally it was operationalized today. “Though no patient was admitted today in the Hospital but it is ready to take and treat patients,” sources said, adding every requisite facility is at place in the Hospital.
“Initially, six Mid-Level Health Providers (MLHPs) have been deputed by National Health Mission to provide services in the Hospital and some doctors have been provided by NHM J&K and Directorate of Health Services Jammu while the Consultants and Resident Doctors will be deployed by the GMC Jammu,” they added.
Dr Ashutosh Gupta, Officiating Principal, GMC Jammu, when contacted, said that this 200-bedded COVID Hospital has state of the art infrastructure and all facilities needed for COVID-19 patients like oxygenation, ventilator facilities and round the clock security are available.
He said that all arrangements like availability of round the clock medical staff including resident doctors, paramedical staff, nursing orderlies have been made while Consultant cover will be provided by the team of specialists from GMC Jammu.
“The Hospital has provision for bed side monitoring of Blood Pressure, Pulse, saturation, ECG, X-Ray etc for all the patients, while as all the laboratory services will be provided by already functional Gandhi Nagar Hospital laboratory,” Dr Gupta said, adding, the Hospital has also got 30 bed side oxygen concentrators for providing immediate oxygen to the critical patients.
Talking about criteria for admission in the 200 bedded COVID Hospital, Dr Gupta said the COVID positive patients will report to the medical team at CD Hospital and subsequently after being examined and investigated there, the patients will be shifted there, on the basis of clinical decision by the COVID-19 team.
Financial Commissioner (FC), Health and Medical Education Department J&K, Atal Dulloo said that though it is Level-2 facility but it will be soon upgraded into Level-1. He added that there is provision for 2 dedicated operation theatres which will be made functional soon and these operation theatres will have provision for Hepa filtration system necessary for operation of COVID-19 patients.
“Presently, the Hospital has three ventilators and we are in the process of procuring more keeping in view future requirement as number of Corona patients are increasing with great pace,” the FC said. He further said that initially they have deputed limited number of staff in the Hospital but with increase of intake of patients, the staff will be enhanced.
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