Two more 500-bed COVID hospitals to come up in Uttarakhand by mid June

By PTI
RISHIKESH: Two additional COVID hospitals with a capacity of 500 beds each will come up at IDPL here and at Sushila Tiwari Medical College in Haldwani by June 15, Uttarakhand Chief Secretary Om Prakash said on Wednesday.

The one coming up at IDPL will be run by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and will have 400 oxygen-supported beds and 100 ICU beds, he said.

Another 500-bed COVID hospital will come up at Sushila Tiwari Medical College in Haldwani, Prakash added.

Both the temporary facilities being built by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) are likely to be operational by June 15, he said.

About Rs 40 crore has already been released for the DRDO to start work on the projects, the chief secretary said.

It is hoped that the addition of these facilities will increase the recovery rate in COVID-19 cases in Uttarakhand, which recorded its highest single-day spike in coronavirus cases on Tuesday with 7,028 people testing positive, while 85 succumbing to the virus.

“Our efforts are focused on increasing the recovery rate, which will automatically reduce the mortality rate,” Prakash said.