‘Extension of Hospitals’ project begins in India to fight Covid 19

India has initiated the ‘Extension of Hospitals' project in various states to plug a significant health infrastructure gap in India's fight against Covid 19, especially in rural areas and smaller towns. Modular hospitals can be constructed adjacent to an existing hospital building and are an extension of hospital infrastructure. Infrastructure in hospitals was under immense pressure as Covid 19 cases surged in different parts of the country. Innovative modular hospitals came as a huge relief amidst the crisis, keeping in view the need. The Office of the Principal Scientific Advisor (PSA) has invited donor organisations, private sector companies and individuals to support the initiative along with various other projects of national importance. The PSA office identified requirements of near to 50 hospitals in states where the highest number of Covid-19 cases were reported. A start-up incubated at the Indian Institute of Technology, Modulus Housing, Madras (IIT-M) developed the MediCAB hospitals. This facilitated building a 100-bedded extension facility in three-weeks time. MediCAB hospitals are designed with Intensive Care Units (ICUs) dedicated zones which can accommodate various life-support equipment and medical devices. The PSA office has been actively working towards securing Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) support to implement these projects in different areas across the nation. Modulus Housing has started deploying MediCAB extension hospitals with American Indian Foundation (AIF) help. Texas Instruments, PNB Housing, Lenovo, NASSCOM Foundation, Mastercard, Zscaler and Goldman Sachs, have also extended CSR support. The first batch of 100 bedded hospitals is being commissioned at Amravati, Pune, and Jalna (Maharashtra); Bilaspur (Chhattisgarh); Mohali (Punjab), and a 20-bed hospital at Raipur (Chhattisgarh). Bengaluru (Karnataka) is going to have one each of 20, 50, and 100 beds in the first phase. The PSA office has also collaborated with Tata Projects Ltd to deploy modular hospitals at multiple sites in Punjab and Chhattisgarh. They started work on 48 bedded modular hospitals in Gurdaspur and Faridkot (Punjab). Expansion of ICU at multiple hospitals in Chhattisgarh, including Jashpur, Kanker, Gaurella, Raipur, and Bemetara, is also underway. Image Source Also read: Covid 19 second wave: BEML starts manufacturing medical oxygen units Also read: Ramco delivers Covid medical relief worth Rs 1 cr to Odisha govt