IAS Officer Explains How Ahmedabad Built India’s Largest Coronavirus Care Facility

In its fight against novel coronavirus, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has readied the largest COVID-19 care facility for patients who have tested positive for the disease. The facility can house about 2,000 patients. Currently, Ahmedabad has 450+ positive COVID-19 reported cases.

The facility opened its doors yesterday to non-critical positive patients and about 15 of them are currently staying in the premises.

In conversation with The Better India (TBI), IAS Vijay Nehra, Commissioner of AMC says,“We started studying the pattern across the world and especially how it spread in China almost two months back when cases were first being reported in India. We have a brainstorming team of about seven to eight people who started identifying where we could set up a facility to house positive patients who were not critical. This was done so that the burden on hospitals could be reduced. The construction work had begun almost two months back.”

AMC has created largest model Covid Care Center in India with 2000 beds
With fully furnished rooms, Free WiFi, telephone, indoor games, a community radio, yoga room, library, TV rooms, music on demand – the place will be just like home for every patient@vnehra@nitinsangwan pic.twitter.com/ekJF3y5QTY

— Amdavad Municipal Corporation (@AmdavadAMC) April 15, 2020

The administration soon identified that the government hostels near Gujarat University Complex would be empty with students having been sent back home. Nehra informs that IAS Nitin Sangwan Deputy Municipal Commissioner West Zone, AMC was assigned to lead the project on the ground and the results were delivered on time.

COVID Care Centre – Features and Management

 “The one thing we had to keep in mind was to ensure that the doctors, housekeepers, and security officials who are present at the premises should not catch the infection in any way. We have put barricades and checkposts around the campus and within the facility so that exposure is kept at a minimum for those managing the facility and taking care of the patients,” informs the 44-year-old Vijay.

There are about three medical teams who work in shifts and each team consists of one doctor and one paramedic. A section of the facility has been cordoned off for these health care professionals so that they can live within the facility. The medical team will also be tested every 14 days to ensure they haven’t contacted the infection.

“We decided to increase the need for healthcare workers depending on the strength of patients. Again, we want to ensure that the exposure is minimum for the health care workers as it is essential for them at this point to remain safe and healthy. And, since these patients are non-critical, health care professionals don’t have to devote as much time as they would otherwise have to in case of critical patients,” says Vijay.

However, in case any patient gets critical, there is an ambulance within the facility that can take them to the nearest hospital located five minutes away from the facility.

The facility is fully equipped with a yoga centre, an indoor game facility, free WiFi and a library that comprises over 1000+ books and magazines. Once a patient enters the facility, they are each provided with kits consisting of a bucket with soap and a toothbrush.

The food for the patients is specially planned and prepared by the Nutrition department at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (SVP) Hospital. It contains nutritious items like juices, khichri, dal, soup, vegetables, rotis among others.

Now, the AMC also has arrangements and a contingency plan in case the cases increase further. Vijay mentions that flats that have been constructed under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) and have been lying vacant, are now serving as quarantine centres for people who have come in contact with people who have tested positive for COVID-19.

If need be, arrangements would be made to house non-critical positive patients in case the numbers increase. In total, these flats can house about 8,000 patients, informs Vijay.

“We took on this initiative to decongest hospitals and separate the non-critical patients from the critical ones so that resources could be efficiently used. Moving forward, we will continue working and adapting to the challenges that lay ahead with proper planning and timely execution so that the pandemic can be effectively managed,” says IAS Vijay Nehra, signing off.

Also Read: Meghalaya IAS Officer is Ensuring No Daily Wager, Migrant Worker Goes Hungry in His District

(Edited by Saiqua Sultan)

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