Schools and colleges to turn COVID care extension centres

Move aimed at reducing load on government tertiary care hospitals

Tamil Nadu, Chennai, 16/05/2021 : The Don Bosco Alumini association along with Greater Chennai Corporation has set up a 104 beds COVID-19 Care Centre at Don Bosco School premises, Egmore in Chennai on Sunday. Photo : Jothi Ramalingam .B / The Hindu

The Greater Chennai Corporation, with support from NGOs, is set to launch “extension centres” of government medical college hospitals to provide COVID-19 treatment to city residents.

These extension centres will have dedicated teams of doctors and nurses to save lives during the pandemic, reducing the load on government tertiary care hospitals.

Many residents died because of a delay in reaching tertiary care hospitals, with the city registering around 7,000 cases a day. On Sunday, Corporation Commissioner Gagandeep Singh Bedi visited schools, such as Don Bosco, Egmore, to develop COVID care “extension centres” of the Kilpauk Medical College Hospital.

The Corporation will provide beds, oxygen support and other infrastructure for the extension centres, while NGOs will constitute the team of doctors and nurses, sponsoring them. For instance, the Don Bosco Foundation has formed a team of doctors, consultants and nurses to treat the patients at the hospital to be developed on the school premises in Egmore.

“Today, we went to Don Bosco School. We are opening a 104-bed hospital. The Corporation is giving the beds, infrastructure, the medicine, taking care of the sanitation and other facilities. The Don Bosco Foundation is giving us eight doctors, three consultants and 24 nurses, sponsoring them on their own. Beds have already been shifted, oxygen concentrators will come in a day or two. We will start by Wednesday and link it to a medical college as their extension facility," said Mr. Bedi. In addition to the “extension centre” in Egmore Don Bosco, such centres will be developed at more than 10 locations, including Nungambakkam, Royapettah and Perambur.

HR and CE Minister P.K.Sekar Babu, who inspected the facility, along with Corporation Commissioner on Sunday, said the new teams of doctors and nurses appointed by non-governmental agencies would get all support from the government to save lives during the pandemic.

“Civic officials are coordinating with various agencies to reduce case fatality during this pandemic. Government officials will monitor the extension centres,” said Mr. Sekar Babu.