2 Covid care facilities with 11k beds inaugurated in Delhi

Two new Covid-19 care facilities with 11,000 beds were inaugurated in the national capital on Sunday. With 10,000 beds, Radha Soami Satsang Beas facility is meant mostly for mild and lower category symptomatic patients, while the DRDO-made facility in Delhi Cantt is a fullfledged hospital run by the armed forces. The entire facility is free for the public.

The DRDO’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Covid hospital is a state-ofthe-art facility that has been set up within 12 days. Inaugurated by Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, the Covid Hospital has HVAC system, sewage treatment plant, kitchen facility, RO facility and labs among other facilities. There are some unique features too like a medical robot trolley system, internal negative pressure gradient, 100% power backup and Central airconditioning. “This effort by the MHA and Defence Ministry will go a long way in ensuring that Corona patients in Delhi are well taken care of. This is a very important facility as it takes care of patients who require intensive care,” said G. Kishan Reddy, Minister of State for Home Affairs.

Under the care of Lieutenant General (Dr) Madhuri Kanitkar, CMO of the facility, the hospital follows the protocol set by AIIMS. This ensures that not only those who get admitted are well taken care of but also that the attendants, nurses and doctors remain safe. “It is our tireless effort which has resulted in this hi-tech facility being set up within a fortnight. DRDO has come up with 70-odd innovations including ventilators, sanitising machines, UV machines, etc. This facility will go a long way in ensuring we keep up the fight against the virus in an effective manner,” said DRDO Chairman G. Sateesh Reddy.

Also, the 10k beds facility at Radha Soami Satsang Beas, which was inaugurated by Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, Anil Baijal, is one of the largest in the world. Sprawling 70-acres, an area roughly the size of 20 football fields, the facility has 200 enclosures with 50 beds each and caters to mostly mild and asymptomatic patients. About 2000 beds in the facility will have oxygen cylinders as well, with the required arrangements made to further increase this number. Run by the Indo Tibetan Border Patrol, the facility has beds made of cardboard for easy disposal and mattress-cum-pillows which can be disposed of with minimal environmental effect. With centralised airconditioning, large TV screens and a library for entertainment purposes and CCTV cameras, this facility will go a long way in ensuring that hospitals in the national capital are not overrun. Volunteers from the Radha Soami Satsang Beas will help the ITBP and Delhi government to run this one-of-its-kind facility. Earlier, on 23 June, India’s Home Ministry and Defence Ministry had approved a new hospital to control the coronavirus cases in Delhi.