Telangana transforms 14-storey tower into COVID-19 hospital in 20 days
About 1,000 workforce sweated it out to convert thecomplex, constructed in 2002, into a full-pledged coronavirushospital with 50 intensive care unit (ICU) beds, a seniorofficial of Telangana government involved in the execution ofthe healthcare centre said adding the facility is ready toaccommodate patients.
The official said the state government proved that notonly China which has reportedly built a makeshift 1,000-beddedhospital in just ten days in Wuhan at the peak of coronavirusspread, Telangana can also do wonders in terms of making quickdecisions and execution of plans.
Telangana State Medical Services InfrastructureDevelopment Corporation (TSMSIDC) undertook the task andfinished it in less than three weeks.
As on Monday, Telangana has 663 active cases ofCOVID-19 and 23 people died of the virus.
"It is a refurbished hospital. They used the firstseven floors a decade ago. The remaining six floors were insemi-finished condition and never put into use. As soon as wegot the nod from the state government we started working onthat made it ready in 20 days. The hospital is now ready totake patients," the official told P T I.
There were either no basic facilities or pooramenities such as water, sanitation and plumbing at thecomplex when the infra corporation took up the task, theofficial added.
All the verticals of TSMSIDC such as surgical andamenities wings worked in unison on floor-management basis.
"We took up each floor as a unit and finished thebuilding. At the same time other necessities such gas andoxygen pipelines were simultaneously connected. The work wasdone in coordination with the Medical and Health department,"the official added.
The hospital currently has four lifts and anotherthree or four will come into use in a few days.
Another official said as many as 400 doctors anddouble the number of nursing staff can work at the newfacility.
Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao had on April 19said the hospital will later be converted into a super-specialty hospital known as Telangana Institute of MedicalSciences and Research (TIMS).
Chandrasekhar Reddy, managing director of TSMSIDC,said it was a turnkey project taken up on emergency basis toconvert thesports towerinto a hospital with all necessaryinfrastructure.
Reddy said after the COVID-19 upsurge comes down theTSMSIDC will start working on the plans to convert it into asuper specialty hospital as envisaged by KCR. GDK SS