Odisha to have 2 new COVID-19 hospitals with total capacity of 300 beds

Odisha is all set to have two new COVID-19 hospitals with a total capacity of 300 beds very soon as a part of its preparedness to tackle the coronavirus pandemic, officials said on Saturday. The hospitals, for treatment of COVID-19 patients only, will come up in association with National Aluminium Company (NALCO) and Paradip Port Trust (PPT).

While Nalco has come forward to fund an exclusive 200-bed COVID-19 hospital at Nabarangpur, PPT will set up a 100-bed hospital for treatment of coronavirus patients at the port town of Paradip in Jagatsinghpur district, an official said. Odisha has already set up 10 dedicated COVID-19 hospitals with a total bed strength of 1,950 and these two facilities will raise the capacity to 2,250 beds.

The state plans to establish around 34 exclusive COVID-19 hospitals with a capacity of 6,000 beds, the official said. For the COVID-19 hospital at Nabarangpur, a tripartite agreement has been signed by NALCO, the district administration and the Christian Hospital there, he said. Sridhar Patra, CMD, NALCO, said the Navaratna PSU stood with the people of Odisha in the past during natural calamities.

This time, the crisis is more challenging and of unprecedented scale, and we at NALCO reiterate our pledge to extend our wholehearted support in whatever ways we can, he added. A similar MoU has been signed between Jagatsinghpur district collector, chief district medical officer of the district and PPT for setting up a dedicated COVID-19 healthcare centre in Paradip, the official said.

Meanwhile, the East Coast Railway (ECoR) on Saturday carried several cartons of medicines at different railway stations in the state. The medicine packets were delivered at Palasa, Brahmapur, Bolangir, Bargarh, Sambalpur and Rayagada railway stations in Odisha. Besides, medical equipment was also delivered at Kesinga in Kalahandi district, an ECoR official said.

The medicines and medical equipment were dispatched from Visakhapatnam station by Special Parcel Express in the morning, he said, adding that other essential items, including milk powder, were delivered at Brahmapur station. Green coconut was delivered at Titilagarh and Bolangir, while grocery items were taken to Rayagada from Vizianagram, he said.

A total of 58 wagons carrying 3,364 tonnes of wheat, packed in 65,898 bags, was transported to Cuttack from Garha in Madhya Pradesh, the official said, adding that rice bags are being loaded at Srikakulam, Pendurthy, Bargarh Road and Bolangir by FCI to be taken to South India. Besides, the Odisha government on Saturday said about 94 lakh families covered under the national and state food security schemes will get free of cost rice and dal because of the difficulties owing to the month-long lockdown imposed to stop the spread of coronavirus, official sources said. The rice and dal will be distributed among the poor people under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Anna Yojana, an official said. The poor people will get ration for April, May and June, the official said.