CM Vijay Rupani also warned the diamond and textile industries to maintain social distancing and other Covid norms. (File)
Considering the recent rise in Covid-19 cases in Surat, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said the state government would spend Rs 100 crore to convert two hospital buildings on Surat New Civil hospital premises into Covid facilities. Besides, 200 ventilators will also be made available in the city in a day or two, he added.
It would 8 to 10 days to prepare the stem cell hospital, while the kidney hospital would take nearly a month, Rupani told reporters during his visit to the city on Saturday to review Covid-19 situation. He was accompanied by Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel who is also the state health minister.
Surat has been reporting 100 plus cases daily since June 20 and an average of 200 plus since June 29, the maximum being from the diamond and textile business clusters soon after Unlock-1.
“The state government has decided to convert the stem cell hospital and kidney hospital on New Civil Hospital premises into dedicated Covid facilities at the cost of Rs 100 crore. The work has been given to six different agencies and they will complete it on a war footing. Surat is our focus, given the rise in the number of positive cases,” Rupani said.
“We are taking daily stock of the situation in Surat. We have decided to send 200 ventilators to Surat and ensure it reaches in a day or two. The private hospitals have also agreed to reserve 50 per cent of their beds for Covid-19 patients,” Rupani added. He also said that 100 Dhanvatri raths have been deployed by the Surat Municipal Corporation.
The CM also warned the diamond and textile industries to maintain social distancing and other Covid norms. “If rules are flouted, units and markets will have to be closed, because our first responsibility is to ensure that infections don’t rise,” Rupani said.
BJP MLA from Majura seat in Surat, Harsh Sanghavi said he had requested Rupani and Patel to make the Actemra (Tocilizumab) injection available to private hospitals treating Covid-19 patients. “We have also requested that Covid-19 testing be allowed at OPD also. If testing is done at an early stage, positive patients can be identified at the earliest,” Sanghvi said.
Navsari MP C R Patil and minister of state for health Kishor Kanani, who is also an MLA from Surat, has been asked to stay in touch with leaders and associations of both textile and diamond industries so that they follow Covid-19 guidelines.
The Chief Minister and his deputy met corporation, district administration officials, and also representatives from New Civil Hospital, SMIMER hospital and private doctors.