Nagpur: The
plan to develop
Jumbo Covid Hospital at the Divisional Sports Complex, Mankapur, has been dropped. Now, the administration will focus on increasing
beds in Government Medical College and Hospital (
GMCH) and
AIIMS.
Divisional commissioner Sanjeev Kumar told TOI, “Jumbo
Covid Hospital project has been abandoned. It is always better to equip facilities in existing hospitals instead of a makeshift arrangement. Infrastructure development in existing hospitals will benefit
patients forever. Therefore, we are concentrating on increasing beds in GMCHs and AIIMS.”
Kumar added even health minister Rajesh Tope directed increasing beds in existing facilities wherever possible instead of going for Jumbo Covid Hospital. “An indoor health facility is always better and cheaper than makeshift facility outdoor,” he said.
Kumar said, “Some 400 more beds will be added in GMCH as soon as possible. Process to increase beds in AIIMS too is going on. We cannot increase the capacity in IGGMCH.”
TOI had reported on September 29 about GMCH’s plan to increase 400 beds. There is also a plan to increase capacity at AIIMS to 500 beds.
Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) had started three more Covid Hospitals and one is already in operation. Total capacity in these four hospitals is around 300 beds. Thus, over 1,000 more beds will be available in coming days compared to last month. Jumbo Covid Hospital was proposed with 1,000 beds.
At present, GMCH has 570 beds for Covid patients, 700 are at IGGMCH and 80 at AIIMS.
With rise in positive cases and complaints of shortage of beds, guardian minister Nitin Raut had proposed Jumbo Covid Hospital on the lines of Mumbai in August. TOI was the first to highlight the project on August 9. At that time, works on three Jumbo Covid Hospitals in Pune
district were in final stages.
After Raut’s efforts, the administration had submitted a proposal to the government in August. At that time, Raut had made it clear Jumbo Covid Hospital will not benefit current peak and will be helpful in second wave, which is predicted in winter season. Following HC strictures on September 15, the government had given in-principle approval to the project on September 18.
However, experts and officials have predicted that cases will not be as high as those registered in August and September even if a second wave comes. The highest number of active cases in city was 15,937 on September 24 in this pandemic till date. As per guidelines, only 15% (2,390) require hospitalization.
Sources told TOI, “Total beds in government, NMC and private Covid Hospitals will increase to over 5,000 from existing 4,000 in the district and may be sufficient.”
After 5-6 weeks of peak, the number of positive cases has declined to a great extent in the district from the beginning of October. On Tuesday, there were 6,141 active cases, of which 4,138 were in home isolation, 427 in process of admission, 205 in Covid Care Centres, and 1,371 in Covid hospitals. Thus, 2,629 beds were vacant in hospitals.