CMC readies 400-bed facility in Ranipet for COVID-19 patients

CMC readies 400-bed facility in Ranipet for COVID-19 patients

Collector had requested that capacity be stepped up

16/05/2020, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,CHENNAI

CMC began its preparations for the COVID-19 pandemic early January.

To expand the capacity for management of COVID-19, the Christian Medical College (CMC) in Vellore is readying a facility to accommodate up to 400 patients on its new campus in Kannigapuram in Ranipet district.

The move is based on a request from the Ranipet Collector to create additional capacity.

“It is a new district with limited in-patient beds in the government sector and a minimal presence of private hospitals. In the first phase, we have readied two general ward floors. In the second phase, we are getting two more floors with 170-180 beds ready. The district administration has asked for an ICU facility that will be ready in two months,” said J.V. Peter, director of CMC.

On its main campus in Vellore district, CMC has allocated 210 beds, including 36 ICU beds, for patients presenting with Influenza Like Illness or Severe Acute Respiratory Infection. The institution began its preparation for the COVID-19 pandemic early January.

The Hospital Infection Control Committee brought out protocols for screening, triaging, quarantine, testing and treatment based on available evidence, he said.

The number of COVID-19 cases is low in the now trifurcated Vellore district — Vellore, Ranipet and Tirupattur districts. “Despite the actual numbers, Tamil Nadu has done very well with a phenomenal number of tests. Countries like Singapore and South Korea have demonstrated that when you do a lot of testing, we can isolate the cluster and manage them,” he said.

Preparing for COVID-19 was a challenging task considering the huge inflow of patients. CMC put in place certain policies. It made use of masks mandatory for both public and healthcare professionals. Next was physical distancing.

“This was challenging due to the number of patients. But we have staggered OPD timings. For handwashing, we have installed wash stations with soap solutions at different points. No spitting is allowed on campus. We have also taken up screening of patients at the entrances,” Dr. Peter said.