LAHORE: Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid says the government has reserved 800 more beds at the teaching and district headquarters hospitals of the province for coronavirus patients.

Besides, the Punjab government had a plan to also develop a field hospital with a capacity for 1,000 patients to combat any outbreak of the disease, stated Ms Rashid during press conference after chairing a Cabinet Committee meeting at the Chief Minister Secretariat on Thursday. MPA Musarrat Jamshed Cheema and Additional Secretary Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education Asif Tufail were also present.

Out of the 78 confirmed patients, 60 had travelled recently to Iran and the remaining patients had come from different countries.

She said there were three types of patients; patients with no symptoms, mild symptoms and with severe symptoms.

“We have reserved more than 500 beds at teaching hospitals for isolation rooms and 300 isolation rooms at DHQ hospitals,” she said.

She added the government was working in close collaboration with the private laboratories and the test cost of Covid-19 was Rs7,900, which the government was providing free of cost.

The health department was working with private labs, including the Shaukat Khanam Lab, which was providing the government free tests, she maintained.

Published in Dawn, March 20th, 2020