Maharashtra is integrating 85 field hospitals, created at a cost of nearly Rs 200 crore to manage Covid-19 surges, with permanent hospitals due to low utilization. The state completed 85 out of the initially proposed 95 field hospitals over the past two years.
Initially designed to address the demand for non-ICU beds in rural areas, the project faced skepticism as construction started long after the pandemic’s significant threat. These prefabricated structures, equipped with essential facilities, will now serve as additional beds for district hospitals.
Dheeraj Kumar, commissioner of state health services, acknowledged the lack of cases leading to the field hospitals’ non-utilization. He stated, “We have decided to open up these hospitals for other ailments. They can be used to accommodate ophthalmology patients or function as post-operative centres. These facilities will now serve as additional beds for the respective district hospitals where they have come up.” Kumar highlighted the original plan of commissioning these facilities for non-Covid ailments eventually.
In Maharashtra, 15 field hospitals were planned in Akola circle, 17 each in Aurangabad and Latur circles, 16 in Nashik, 13 in Mumbai circle, 10 in Pune circle, and seven in Nagpur circle. In Mumbai circle, a 100-bed hospital was planned in Panvel, a 20-bed centre in Thane district’s Murbad town, and two 20-bed facilities each in Palghar district’s Vikramgad and Wada talukas.
Most field hospitals in Mumbai circle are yet to be completed.
Despite the integration, there hasn’t been a significant increase in the need for beds. Kumar mentioned that most patients are being admitted to regular hospitals, given that the state already has over 40,000 isolation beds. To address the potential of the integrated field hospitals falling into permanent disuse, a proposal has been submitted to the government to recruit additional manpower. The senior state official emphasized the necessity of more staff to manage 50-100 additional beds in these integrated facilities.