After Mumbai, Smart City Bhubaneswar to host 2 dedicated Covid-19 hospitals

Bhubaneswar: Nearly 48-hours after Mukesh Ambani led Reliance Group set up India's first state-of-art Covid-19 hospital in Mumbai, Odisha government today signed an MoU with two private sector hospitals to bring up 1000-bed dedicated Covid-19 hospital with all modern infrastructure and facilities in the Capital city.

Subroto Bagchi, State government's  chief spokesperson on Covid-19, informed about the decision of signing a tripartite agreement with the private hospitals during his regular briefing to media on Covid-19 situation in the State.

State health secretary Nikunj Dhal, Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC) chairman Vineel Krishna, Mahanadi Coalfield Limited (MCL) and directors of KIMS and Sum Hospital are signatories to the MoU.

"The signing of the MoU to set up a two dedicated Covid-19 hospitals with 500-beds each in the capital city is a historic moment. The hospitals will be ready within 14 - days. And State government is bringing up this modern health facility to tackle the challenges posed by community transmission of Covid-19 in the State," Bagchi opined.

Speaking at the occasion, KIMS director B Panigrahi outlined the utility of dedicated Covid-19 hospitals. He said, "The acute corona crisis in Italy has been the outcome of Covid-19 patients going to general health centres for treatment. It's where the infection spread in a big way, besides the other major of having deep engagement between Milan and Chinese cities."

Former AIIMS Bhubaneswar director and presently dierctor of SUM Hospital, Ashok Mahapatra, said, " SUM hospital has set up a Flu-fever clinic to cater to the needs of Covid-19 treatment."

Meanwhile, in order to thwart any Covid-19 outbreak in Odisha, the State government has again directed the gram panchayats and zilla parishad authorities to detect and ensure 14-day home quarantine for over 84,000 migrant workers returned to the State recently.

Moreover, on detection of any n-CoV symptoms and for isolation, the State government has created isolation centres at the level of gram panchayats having a bed capacity of 7,276, Bagchi informed.

As reports of migrant Odia workers stranded in different states poured in, the Odisha government today made it clear that the government will not going to bring them to their home state. Rather, Bagchi informed that CM Naveen Patnaik has sent a missive to CM of all states to take a compassionate view of Odias dwelling there.

"Odisha government is ready to bear the financial burden," Patnaik stated so in clear terms. The CM further highlighted that Odisha government will discharge its statutory obligations towards the workers residing in Odisha, who are from other states.

In order to ensure smooth transportation of all essential commodities in the State , Odisha government today issued a police helpline number (0674)-2620200 for the freight carriers in the State.

Moreover, the State Home department has set up a 24X7 control room to coordinate and supervise the lockdown in the State and has issued two control room helpline numbers: 9438915986 and (0674)-2392115.

In last 48-hours, Odisha police registered a high of 404 FIRs across the State. The break-up reveals that over 90 per cent of the FIRs are registered for defying lockdown. Ten have been registered for violation of home-quarantine protocol and 14 others for the breach of Covid-19 advisories.

As per the State Health Department's Covid-19 bulletin, the State today tested 27 samples and none of the samples tested positive. Till date 164 samples tested for n-CoV, only 2 have resulted positive. The condition of two positives are stated to be stable.  And 34 are in hospital isolation. Ten monitoring teams keep a close tab on 4,249 foreign returnees to the State.

Fodder and livestock feeds have been included in the essential services Act, Bagchi informed.