India is hoping to counter a surge in Covid-19 cases with a new, 10,000-bed dedicated care center in the nation’s capital of New Delhi.
The mega-hospital is being set up on 70 acres of a 300-acre religious group’s campus.
In the battle against Covid-19, India is now preparing for the worst.
The country of 1.3 billion reported another record high of 16,922 new cases on Thursday, taking the total to 473,105. New Delhi has become the worst-hit city in the country.
The quickly assembled beds in this new mega-hospital could soon be in high demand.
The new hospital will be run with the help of doctors and paramedic staff from the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, a paramilitary force.
But setting up this mammoth health facility has not been an easy task, says government official Sonalika Jiwani.
“The biggest challenge has been the sheer scale of it because it’s 10,000 beds,” she says.
“Proportionately we require a lot of manpower, we have collaborated with a lot of institutions. The first one being ITBP (Indo-Tibetan Border Police). They are providing for 2,000 beds, the doctors, the paramedics and the nurses, which will be taking care of the patients for 2,000 beds. And then we will subsequently scale it further.”
Coronavirus cases in India have surged after most lockdown restrictions introduced by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi were lifted.
Some hospitals are overwhelmed. Long lines of people can be seen outside testing centers across New Delhi.
“This facility has been erected by a lot of contributions from the civil society organizations and from the corporate social responsibility of companies,” says Jiwani.
“So, all the beds have been donated, all the mattresses have been donated, and many of the things which will be coming up, like computers, mobile tablets, which the nurses and the doctors will be using, have been donated.”
The new Covid-19 care center has been separated into blocks, each housing 100 beds.
It’s going to have 500 urinals, 450 bathing rooms, and recyclable cardboard beds.
Sheela Foam, a mattress and bedding products manufacturer, designed and donated specialized cardboard beds for the hospital.
The company donated all 10,000 beds, plus mattresses and gowns for patients – that’s at a cost of about $200,000 in total.
“We have specially designed these beds for Covid-19,” explains Sheela Foam general manager Raajesh Ranjan.
“It is made from cardboard and is a very lightweight bed. It can withstand weight up to 300 kilograms. Each bed can handle all the requirements of a single patient.”
New Delhi’s government has projected that cases in the capital area alone could expand to more than half a million by late July. The government is considering taking over luxury hotels and stadiums to convert into field hospitals.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2TwO8Gm
QUICKTAKE ON SOCIAL:
Follow QuickTake on Twitter: twitter.com/quicktake
Like QuickTake on Facebook: facebook.com/quicktake
Follow QuickTake on Instagram: instagram.com/quicktake
Subscribe to our newsletter: https://bit.ly/2FJ0oQZ
Email us at quicktakenews@gmail.com
QuickTake by Bloomberg is a global news network delivering up-to-the-minute analysis on the biggest news, trends and ideas for a new generation of leaders.