Officials inspect COVID-19 hospital

Exclusive facilities being created across State, says Health Minister

01/04/2020, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT, CHENNAI

Exclusive isolation facilities for COVID-19 patients are being created across the State, Health Minister C. Vijayabaskar said.

The Minister, along with Roshini Arthur, senior regional director, Regional Office of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, and two officials of World Health Organisation, Country Office, India, inspected the facility at the Government Medical College Hospital in Omandurar Estate.

Speaking to reporters, Dr. Arthur said they inspected Tamil Nadu’s first dedicated COVID-19 hospital to check the preparedness, infrastructure, human resources, equipment and adherence to protocols.

“Tamil Nadu, especially Chennai, has a good dedicated COVID-19 unit here. There are three dedicated blocks. There is an outpatient facility on the ground floor with infection protocols in place, sample collection area, waiting room, counselling room and pharmacy as per guidelines. There are 150 isolation beds with spacing, equipment, and disinfection protocols. In addition, another 200 beds for an intermediate care unit is available with 75 ICU beds and 125 step down beds,” she said.

She said protocols for biomedical waste, dietary, treatment guidelines are in place. Staff members on rotation for seven days for IMCU are in place. There are specialists, including pulmonologists, radiologists and physicians, to man the facilities, apart from portable X-ray, ultrasound, and CT equipment

“We suggest that more such dedicated COVID-19 centres be opened in all of Tamil Nadu,” she added.

Like in Chennai, which has a 500-bed facility with intensive care unit and ventilators at Government Medical College Hospital, Omandurar Estate, separate blocks in Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, Government Stanley Medical College Hospital, Kilpauk Medical College Hospital and ESI Hospital, Ayanavaram, exclusive facilities for COVID-19 are being created across the State, Dr. Vijayabaskar said. “The condition of all patients is stable. None of them is on ventilatory support,” he said.