Udupi: District deputy commissioner (DC) G Jagadeesha and MAHE vice-chancellor Dr H S Ballal informed that the Dr TMA Pai Hospital at Udupi has been designated as exclusively reserved for COVID-19 positive cases from the district from April 1.
Dr Ballal informed that presently, there are 100 beds in the hospital of which 11 are in the intensive care unit (ICU), 15 in the high dependency unit (HDU), 36 private rooms and 43 general beds are available in the hospital, all will be converted to isolation wards.
Patients in the hospital have been transferred to Manipal, he further informed.
Three confirmed COVID-19 positive cases from the district have already been transferred to the hospital.
The hospital management has already formed teams of physicians, nurses, housekeeping and other staff who will be working in shifts in the hospital after its reservation.
DC Jagadeesha stated that SDM Hospital has few people under observation who had come in contact with the infected. Twenty beds each have also been reserved in government hospitals at Udupi, Kundapura and Karkala.
District health officer Dr Sudhirchandra Sood stated that presently there are 9 ventilators in government hospitals and 26 in private hospitals. A request for 10 more ventilators has already been sent to the state government, DC Jagaeesha added.
Fever clinics are being organized in al government hospitals in the district and even in Dr TMA Pai Hospital for those seeking treatment for common cold and fever.
Dr TMA Hospital will not be reimbursed from the government for hosting the COVID-19 patients and will be bearing the entire cost of it, commended MLA Raghupati Bhat in a separate statement.
Udupi zilla panchayat CEO Preeti Gehlot, police superintendent Vishnuvardhan and MAHE chancellor Dr H Vinod Bhat were present in the conference.
