110-bed ICU soon at Thiruvananthapuram MCH: Minister

‘Strengthen arrangements in anticipation of third wave of COVID-19’

A 110-bed intensive care unit (ICU) will soon be ready at Government Medical College Hospital here.

Fifty of the beds were ready and the remaining should be made available within 10 days, Minister for Health Veena George told the hospital authorities during a visit on Thursday.

She directed that arrangements at the hospital be strengthened in anticipation of the third wave of COVID-19. It had treated the maximum number of patients during the second wave, but with the number of patients coming down, it was time to improve non-COVID-19 care too.

Medicine stocks

The Minister said hospitals had been asked to report the current stock of medicines, equipment and protection gear and that was required in a month, and purchase these through Kerala Medical Services Corporation Ltd. and local purchases. In case of a third wave, requirements for six months should be calculated and collected. Medicines and protective gear should be purchased on a war-footing.

Ms. George reviewed the arrangements made for oxygen availability and visited the oxygen plant there.

She also visited the hospital pharmacy to look into medicine distribution and the wards as part of arrangements for more beds.

Action taken

The Minister said strict action had been taken in the incident in which a young woman died following injuries sustained in a lift collapse at the Regional Cancer Centre here. One person had been let go and two had been suspended.

Directions had been given to put in place strict safety measures if construction activities were under way in hospitals. Steps would be taken to provide assistance to the family of the woman, she said.

Black fungus infection

Black fungus infection was under control in the State, and there was no shortage of drugs required for its treatment, Ms. George said.

Inadequate vaccine arrivals were the reason for delays in spot registration, she said. Spot registration for non-resident Indians was under way in some places. Online registration was on in a bid to reduce crowding in vaccination centres, the Minister said.

Director of Medical Education Thomas Mathew, Government Medical College Principal Sara Varghese, and hospital Superintendent M.S. Sharmad took part in discussions with the Minister.

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