PM CARES to fund two 500-bed COVID hospitals in Bihar

The PM CARES Fund Trust will finance two 500-bed COVID-19 makeshift hospitals in Bihar, the Prime Minister's Office said on Monday, asserting that this will go a long way in improving the COVID care in the state.  Announcing the decision, the PMO tweeted "PM-CARES Fund Trust has decided to allocate funds for the fight against COVID-19 by way of establishment of 500-bed COVID-19 Makeshift Hospitals at Patna and Muzaffarpur, Bihar by DRDO."

In a series of tweets, the PMO also said while the 500-bed hospital at Bihta, Patna will be inaugurated today, the 500-bed hospital at Muzaffarpur will be inaugurated very soon. These hospitals have 125 ICU beds with ventilators and 375 normal beds each, it said, adding that each bed also has oxygen supply.  Doctors and paramedical staff for the hospitals will be provided by the Armed Forces Medical Services, it added. 

Bihar, which is headed for assembly polls in a few months, is among the states which have large numbers of COVID cases.  In a review meeting on August 11, the prime minister had noted that 10 states, including Bihar, account for over 80 per cent of country's active COVID-19 cases, and asserted if the virus is defeated in these states, then the country will emerge victorious in its fight against the pandemic.