TAXILA: The district administration has established afield hospital for Covid-19 patients in a record period of two weeks to isolate and treat confirmed patients in a safe and secure environment. The field hospital is able to accommodate 80 patients.

The facility has been established in a building, previously in use by Comsats University, which was later handed over to the Punjab government, to establish Mother and Child Care Hospital during the current year.

Deputy Commissioner Ali Anan Qamar said the district administration set up the 80-bed field hospital in a record period of two weeks.

He appreciated the role of doctors, paramedical staff and officials of district administration, health and revenue department in fighting Covid-19 on the front line.

Special arrangements have also been made for the medical staff at the hospital, he added.

He said the hospital had been linked with District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital while separate beds have been allocated for patients. Covid-19 patients would be kept in isolation at the hospital, he added.

Responding to a question, he said suspected patients coming to the quarantine centre at DHQ Hospital will be shifted to the field hospital after confirmation of infection in a safe and secure environment.

“We have made necessary arrangements here to meet any emergency situation,” he added.

He praised health workers for performing duties on the front line to deal with the outbreak and said they were the real heroes of society.

He said the coronavirus outbreak was a major challenge for the entire nation and the provincial government was struggling hard to cope with this situation by utilising all available logistic and human resources.

He added that in order to minimise the threat from Covid-19, we must implement in true spirit, guidelines and precautionary measures drawn out by health experts besides increasing testing capacity.

Published in Dawn, April 20th, 2020