Sardar Patel COVID centre to reopen with 500 oxygenated beds on Sunday

New Delhi, Apr 24 (PTI) Ahead of opening of the Sardar Patel COVID Care Centre here, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Saturday visited the facility and said it will be restarted with 500 oxygenated beds.

He also reviewed the COVID-19 preparedness of the centre.

The minister was informed that the capacity of the Sardar Patel COVID Care Centre (SPCCC) will be augmented to 1,000 beds in another week, and thereafter, swiftly to accommodate 1,500 beds and finally to 2,000 beds, the Union health ministry said in a statement.

The centre at Chhatarpur in south Delhi is being adequately equipped with medical facilities which include ten dedicated basic care life support ambulances, X-Ray, oxygen cylinders, biphasic defibrillators, pulse oxymeters, suction machines and BiPAP machines along with other medical equipment.

At the healthcare facility, in-house psychological counselling and psychiatry services will be provided by trained counsellors, it said.

Telemedicine support will also be provided by Referral Hospital, ITBP.

The Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) has already dispatched a team of 40 well qualified medical doctors who will be joined by a team of 120 expert paramedics, the statement said.

The facility is expected to restart by Sunday.

PTI UZM SRY