Andhra Pradesh Takes Over 58 Private Hospitals To Boost COVID-19 Infrastructure

The production of ventilators, testing kits, other equipment has started in Visakhapatnam (File)

The Andhra Pradesh government has taken over 58 private hospitals across 13 districts in the state to manage and cope with the growing number of coronavirus cases.

A total of 19,114 beds are available in these private institutions. Among these 17,111 are non-ICU beds, 1,286 are ICU beds and 717 are isolation beds.

In addition to this, alternative facilities with a capacity of 530 have also been set up.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Tuesday reviewed the COVID-19 situation in the state as well as the measures being taken to contain the spread of the virus.

Airing concerns over the increasing number of positive cases in the state and imminent need to scale up medical facilities, Mr Reddy on Sunday directed the authorities to open testing labs in each district and create isolation wards in all hospitals.

The state nodal officer overseeing the availability of beds, ventilators, ICUs and technical personnel Girija Shankar IAS said, "A lot of private institutions responded the chief minister's call to the private sector to get involved in this fight against Covid-19. We have taken over a total of 58 private hospitals with a capacity of over 19,000 beds. This will further boost our medical infrastructure and help the state brace for any eventuality."

However, the production of ventilators, testing kits and other equipment has already started in Visakhapatnam which is expected to help frontline warriors manage pressure. The government has already placed an order for 3 lakh rapid testing kits.

Andhra Pradesh has seen 305 coronavirus positive cases so far with four deaths. One patient has recovered.