Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday reviewed the COVID-19 situation in Gujarat and announced that a 1200-bed COVID-19 hospital with 600 ICU beds will be set up by Tata Trust at Gandhinagar.
Mr. Shah also inspected a 950-bed COVID-19 hospital set up by the DRDO and Ministry of Home in the Gujarat University convention centre in Ahmedabad. It will become functional on Saturday.
“This facility has been set up by DRDO in collaboration with the Gujarat Government. It has around 950 oxygen beds, including 250 ICU beds. It has all the necessary equipment and facilities including CT Scan,” Mr. Shah told reporters after the review meeting.
The Centre had recently announced that 25 doctors and 75 paramedics from paramilitary forces would be deployed at the facility.
Isolation centres for COVID-19 patients will be set up in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar by Karnavati Club, Rajpath Club, Gujarat State Cooperative Bank and other charity outfits, where patients will be provided all amenities free of cost, he said.
The Home Minister’s visit to his home State comes in the backdrop of a worsening situation, with thousands of new cases and rising deaths.
“A new hospital in Gandhinagar and isolation centres will be set up. Also, a helpline for patients will be launched in two days. Around 50 doctors and medical staff will answer patients’ queries,” he told media persons in Ahmedabad.
Meanwhile, Gujarat reported 142 deaths and 13804 new infections on Friday. So far, 6019 persons have succumbed to the infection, while the State has crossed the mark of one lakh active cases.