Centre adds 500 oxygenated beds in Delhi; ramps up Covid care nationwide
26 Apr 2021
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Union minister for health and family welfare Dr Harsh Vardhan on Sunday visited the Sardar Patel Covid Care Centre (SPCCC) at Chhatarpur, New Delhi to oversee the restarting of the Covid Care Centre and addition of 500 oxygenated beds as the centre boosts healthcare infrastructure to deal with the unprecendented surge of daily new Covid-19 cases across the country.
The present facility would heavily ease the burden on Delhi’s existing health infrastructure.
“As during last year, the centre is working through a “Whole of Government” approach where we are pooling all resources to ramp up three categories of infrastructure for effective management of Covid-19”, Dr Harsh Vardhan said, reiterating the collective resolve of the union government.
While reviewing the status of Covid-19 management at the hospital, the minister was informed that the capacity will be augmented to 1,000 in another week and thereafter swiftly to accommodate 1,500 and finally to 2,000 beds. The Chhatarpur centre is being adequately equipped with medical facilities, which include ten dedicated basic care life support ambulances, X-Ray, Oxygen Cylinders, Bi Phasic Defibrillator complete, Pulse Oxymeters, Suction Machines and BI PAP machine along with other medical equipment. The healthcare facility aldo provides in-house psychological counselling and psychiatry services by trained counsellors. Telemedicine support will also be provided by Referral Hospital, ITBP. ITBP has already dispatched a team of 40 well qualified medical doctors who would be joined by a team of 120 expert paramedics. The facility is expected to start by Monday.
The “Sardar Patel Covid Care Centre” has been developed at RadhaSoamiSatsang Beas (RSSB) in Chhatarpur, Delhi as part of coordinated efforts of the centre through DRDO and ITBP to augment the Covid clinical treatment infrastructure in New Delhi. The centre, which got closed down has been restarted now that cases have been increasing in the capital.
Meanwhile, the first Oxygen Expresses arrived at Nashik in Maharashtra and Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh with Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO). A few oxygen containers were unloaded at Nagpur and Varanasi enroute to supply Medical Oxygen in these regions. Also, third Oxygen Express started its journey from Lucknow this morning.
Indian Railway is running Oxygen Express in response to its fight against Covid-19.
States like Andhra Pradesh, Delhi are in consultation with Railways to run more such trains.
It may be noted that tankers filled with LMO at Visakhapatnam and Bokaro are currently being transported through Ro-Ro service of Indian Railways.
To fulfil the requirements of medical oxygen in Uttar Pradesh, for the movement of the train, a green corridor was created between Lucknow to Varanasi. The distance of 270 km was covered by the train in 4 hours 20 minutes with an average speed of 62.35 kmph.
A total of 10 containers having nearly 150 tonnes of oxygen have been carried so far.
Transportation of oxygen through trains is faster over long distances than road transport. Trains run 24x7 unlike road transports.
Indian Railways transported essential commodities and kept the supply chain intact even during the lockdown last year and continue to serve the nation in times of emergencies.
The country also achieved cumulative vaccination coverage of more than 140 million Covid-19 vaccine doses over the past 99 days.
Cumulatively, 14,09,16,417 vaccine doses have been administered through 20,19,263 sessions, as per the provisional report till 7 am today (Monday), the health ministry stated in a release.
