Odisha To Open India’s Largest COVID-19 Isolation Facility

As the number of coronavirus cases in the country crosses 700, the medical infrastructure in the country needs to be stepped up as India is witnessing a sharp surge in the cases with each passing day.

Odisha’s COVID-19 Exclusive Isolation Facility

To play its part, the Odisha Government, on Thursday, announced that it will be setting up the largest isolation facility in India dedicated solely to COVID-19-positive patients. The hospital will have about 1,000 beds and will be completely functional in the next 15 days, according to reports from ANI.

The major aim of building this hospital is to cater to the growing number of coronavirus cases in the country as well as to take some burden off the shoulders of an already stretched medical apparatus.

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For this purpose, the Odisha state government has signed two tripartite agreements, one with SUM Hospital and the other with Kalinga Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) to set up the 1,000-bed facility in Bhubaneswar. This dedicated COVID-19 hospital will operate out of buildings provided by these two medical facilities.

State-owned Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC) and the Coal India subsidiary Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL) will fund the project, through their CSR kitty.

The first MoU has been signed by Health Secretary Nikunja Bihari Dhal, MD of OMC Vyneel Krishna and KIIMS management to set up a 450-bed hospital. The second MoU was signed by the Health Secretary, S.S. Panda of MCL and SUM management to set up a 500-bed hospital along with ICU facilities.

Odisha Has Asked People Coming From Outside Into The State To Self-Quarantine

Meanwhile, Odisha has asked more than 82,000 people in the State to self-quarantine as many of them have either come from outside India or from other states within the country. The coronavirus positive cases in the state currently stand at two.

The total number of COVID-19-positive cases in the country now stands at 724. The death toll has surged to 17, with 67 cured, discharged or migrated cases.

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