Field hospitals to be set up in all districts of Sindh

To prepare for the worst-case scenario in the COVID-19 pandemic, field hospitals will be set up all over the province with the total capacity of 10,000 beds.

The direction to this effect was given by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Friday as he chaired a meeting on the pandemic. The provincial government has already established 185-bed critical care units (CCUs) equipped with ventilators in different hospitals of Sindh, the meeting was informed.

The CM said the number of confirmed coronavirus patients had been on the rise after more people were being tested for the viral disease.

He said the provincial government should make preparations to establish field hospitals in every district. It was pointed out that a newly constructed school in Tando Mohammad Khan had the capacity to house at least 50 patients. To this, the CM directed the education department to use the new school building, which is yet to be commissioned, for setting up a field hospital.

A 100-bed similar unit would be set up in Matiari, the meeting was told. The CM also approved the idea of setting up a field hospital in a new hospital building in Tando Allahyar.

He directed Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Pechuho to identify vacant or newly constructed government buildings and grounds where isolation centers could be established.

He further directed her to arrange medical and paramedical staff and medicines for the field hospitals being established at the district level.

The health minister told the CM that 185 CCUs equipped with ventilators had been established at different hospitals. They included 10 units at the Ojha campus of Dow University, 11 at the Indus Hospital Karachi, 10 at the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation, 12 at the Civil Hospital Karachi, 20 at the Liaquat University Hospital Hyderabad, eight at the Liaquat University Hospital Jamshoro, 14 at the Peoples Medical University Shaheed Benazirabad, 10 at the Khairpur Medical College, 14 at the Chandka Medical College Larkana, four at the Syed Abdullah Shah Institute Sehwan, 12 at the Jinnah hospital Karachi, three at the Lyari General Hospital, five at the Indus Hospital Badin and others.

The CM directed Local Government Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah to carry out disinfection spray in every districts. “There must be a proper cleanliness system, otherwise other diseases would start emerging while containing the coronavirus,” he said.

The meeting was also attended by Principal Secretary to CM Sajid Jamal Abro, Health Secretary Zahid Abbasi, CM’s Focal Person on Coronavirus Najam Shah and others.