BAHAWALPUR: A new intensive care unit (ICU) for critical Covid-19 patients will be established at the Government Civil Hospital, Jhangiwali Road here.

Quaid-e-Azam Medical College (QAMC) Principal Prof Dr Shafqat Tabbasum, who is also chief executive officer (acting charge) of the hospital told Dawn on Monday that decision had been taken to set up another ICU at the facility following a surge in the positive coronavirus cases in the district.

He said the new ICU would have 20 beds with as many ventilators round the clock for the critical Covid-19 patients. The hospital already has 11 beds and eight ventilators for such patients.

The Civil Hospital has already been declared as coronavirus treatment facility for the districts of Bahawalpur and Lodhran.

The QAMC principal said the capacity of the hospital’s laboratory would also be increased to conduct more tests and expedite the results of the samples of suspected Covid-19 patients.

He hoped the hospital lab would be able to issue results of corona tests within two days. The CEO said that during an inspection of the Bahawal Victoria Hospital(BVH) on Monday , he ordered improvement in sanitation and cleanliness in the wards to provide quality healthcare services to the indoor patients.

Meanwhile, the district has registered one more Covid death and 33 new virus cases, taking the total death toll in the district to 88 and number of positive cases to 3,265 so far.

As per official figures, total four patients were on ventilators in the hospital and one out of them was critical.

LAND RETRIEVED: The administration retrieved 20 marla land from illegal occupants at 86-Fateh village in Hasilpur Tehsil.

According to a handout, Hasilpur Assistant Commissioner (AC) Kamran Ashraf, during an operation at 86-Fateh village got 20 marla state land retrieved from land mafia.

A criminal case has also been registered against the alleged land grabbers.

Published in Dawn, December 8th, 2020