Taking note of the growing need for expanding isolation centres for COVID-19 patients, Mines and Geology Minister Murugesh Nirani directed Kalaburagi Deputy Commissioner Vijaya Jyothsna to convert the abandoned ESIC Hospital at Shahabad in Kalaburagi district into a COVID Care Centre (CCC).
The hospital, which was built in 1994 on a four-acre plot to cater to the medical needs of over 7,500 workers of various cement factories and other industries in the area, was closed in 2004 after most of the factories and industries moved out of Shahabad. It has remained deserted since then.
Ms. Jyotsna and other senior officials, including Shahabad Tahsildar Suresh Varma and Shahabad Municipal Corporation Commissioner K. Gurulingappa, inspected the site and took stock of the hospital’s condition. Upon the directions of the Deputy Commissioner, work for renovating the 30-room structure began on Wednesday. Mr. Nirani, in a media note, said that he had ordered officials to finish the renovation work on a war-footing and provide all medical facilities to treat COVID-19 patients, including beds with oxygen, ventilators, oxygen, pantry, drinking water and toilets.