DRDO to build two Covid hospitals in Jammu, Srinagar

JAMMU: Keeping in view consistent surge in Covid patient load over the past few days, Jammu & Kashmir administration has roped in Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) to construct two Covid hospitals, one each in Jammu and Srinagar.
Union home secretary Ajay Bhalla on Wednesday reviewed the plan to establish the two 500-bedded Covid hospitals. J&K chief secretary B V R Subrahmanyam, financial commissioner K Atal Dulloo, union secretaries of the departments concerned and officers from DRDO, ITBP, and AFMS participated in the meeting. Assessing the requirement of dedicated Covid infrastructure in the union territory, Bhalla asked the government of J&K to immediately identify suitable locations for constructing the hospitals while asking DRDO to evaluate and submit the corresponding proposal estimates through a team of experts.
“The existing healthcare facilities are adequately catering to the needs of patients. However, a continuation of this upward trend may lead to a shortage of Covid beds. To successfully mitigate shortages in medical facilities, it was requested that temporary DRDO Covid hospitals be constructed well in time,’ he said.
He further requested that the upcoming hospitals must be equipped with isolation beds having oxygen support and 125 fully equipped ICU beds. The meeting was informed that the government of J&K has identified two patches of land in Jammu and Srinagar for early start of construction work.