As a part of the three tier-approach, healthcare will be divided into COVID care facilities, COVID health centres and dedicated COVID hospitals. (Express Photo/File)

With Vadodara recording a total of 106 COVID-19 cases as of Monday evening, the city administration has devised a three-tier, three-phase approach for battling the pandemic. The emphasis is on micro-planning of healthcare facilities which will be divided into three tiers, with the time span being split into three phases. As a part of the three tier-approach, healthcare will be divided into COVID care facilities, COVID health centres and dedicated COVID hospitals.

“For all patients without symptoms, who are non-symptomatic or show mild symptoms, a special COVID care facility is ready with minimal medical care including AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy) doctors and nursing staff. The second tier will be COVID health centres which will have oxygen support, ICUs and emergency services. The third will be for critical patients, which will have specialists, ventilators and all-tertiary care systems,” said Vinod Rao, Officer on Special Duty in Vadodara.

Three COVID care centres have been finalised in the city which include a 1,000-bed facility at Pioneer health centre on Ajwa road, a 200-bed facility at Rightway school in Tandalja and a 150-bed facility at ITI Ajwa. “We have roped in 200 AYUSH doctors as well as 200 nursing staff members for the COVID care centres. A hostel for the staff has also been developed,” Rao added.

For COVID health centers, i.e. tier two, a 300-bed facility has been finalised with 130 beds at GMERS, 100 beds at Sumandeep hospital and 70 beds at Pioneer health center.. Another 200 beds for a COVID-19 facility have also been finalised with 170 beds in GMERS and 30 in Sumandeep.hospital.

“We are ready with a 2,000-bed facility for phase one. The first phase goes on till May 10. From then till the end of May is phase two. From June onwards, it’s phase three. We are in possession of around 100 ventilators and we can arrange for more in case of need. We have started planning phase two and three as well” Rao said. The administration has also requested for rapid testing kits and around 3,000 kits are expected from the state government.

Earlier on Monday, Rao, accompanied by VMC Commissioner Nalin Upadhyay and Deputy Commissioner of Police, zone four, Achal Tyagi also visited the Ebrahim Bawany Industrial Training Institute hostel, on the invitation of a minority trust running the institution, to set up an isolation facility for about 500 persons. Rao told this newspaper, “The facility can be used to set up 500 beds and isolate those asymptomatic persons from community areas, who want to stay together. The management has offered to make arrangements for the food of the people, as per the preferences of the community, as well as their other needs.”