Pics: Spoorthi Ullal
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)
Mangaluru, Mar 26: Addressing a press conference at the office of Dakshina Kannada district deputy commissioner here on Thursday March 26, district in-charge minister, Kota Srinivas Poojary, said that a decision has been taken to transform the district Wenlock Hospital into an exclusive coronavirus (COVID-19) hospital taking into account the prevailing coronavirus conditions.
For this purpose, the 218 patients who are currently being treated for various other ailments at Wenlock Hospital would be shifted to private hospital within three days. The patients will be provided treatment in private and medical colleges at the expense of the government, he added. Poojayry said that isolation wards will be opened as and when necessary depending upon the needs which might arise in the future.
He said that 250-bed super speciality building would be earmarked for the treatment of coronavirus positive patients. 20 beds at the Ayush building would be set aside for coronavirus suspects. As many as 705 beds Wenlock Hospital wards will be used for coronavirus cases in a phased manner, he added. Arrangement to treat outpatients will be made in the medical college hospital as per Wenlock Hospital rate list, he added. As many as 140 children who are in the Regional Advanced Paediatric Care Center will be shifted to medial college hospital. In the coming days, this center will be used for COVID 19 treatment, he explained. A trial room will be formed at the medical college hospital for suspected cases brought by 108 ambulance to Wenlock Hospital. Depending on the situation, 20 isolation wards will be opened in the medical college
hospital.
"Currently, there are 32 ventilators. Within a week, a hundred more ventilators will be installed in the building," he stated. He said that doctors of Welock Hospital and 122 staff nurses are ICU-trained. If this is found to be not enough, staff nurses of medical college will be trained and their services will be sought, he said.
Poojary said that currently, five coronavirus positive cases are registered in Mangaluru and all of them are stable and under observation. “Four are from Kasargod and one from Mangaluru. There are 140 coronavirus suspects in Dakshina Kannada right now. We are awaiting reports of 17 people,” he said.
He said that towards handling the situation, even the shopkeepers will be directed to make arrangements to keep social distancing by properly marking the spots for forming the queues.
MP and BJP state president, Nalin Kumar Kateel, deputy commissioner of Dakshina Kannada, Sindhu B Rupesh, MLA, Bharath Shetty and additional deputy commissioner, Roopa, were present.