Punjab CM opens children’s Covid ward, three oxygen plants in Ludhiana

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, August 14

To tackle the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic effectively by augmenting health infrastructure in government health institutions, Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh today virtually inaugurated a paediatric Covid care ward in the Civil Hospital and three pressure swing adsorption (PSA) oxygen plants, built at the cost of Rs 4.21 crore.

The ultra-modern paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) has five units and eight multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) beds in it.

Doctors and nurses have been trained with the help of Dr Bishav Mohan, senior cardiologist from Dayanand Hero Heart Institute. Besides, the ward has ECHO and Cardiology backup from the DMCH.

Thanking Dr Rupesh Aggarwal (Singapore) for ‘Project O2 with Zeiss, India’, for donating five PICU beds, Vijay Munjal of Hero Ecotech Limited, Ludhiana, and Dr Bishav Mohan for donating equipment worth Rs 20 lakh for the initiative, Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh said their generous contribution would go a long way in ensuring quality healthcare services to children in the government health facility.

The Chief Minister announced that the government would be augmenting the PICU and level 2 paediatric beds capacity in all 23 districts and four GMCHs to 1,104 paediatric beds.

He said the collective efforts of philanthropists, industries and the state government would prove instrumental in saving precious lives from Covid and would help combat the pandemic efficiently.

The PSA oxygen plants in Ludhiana were inaugurated by the Chief Minister include 1,000 LPM each at ESI Hospital and Civil Hospital, and 500 LPM at Urban Health Centre, Vardhman.

He said the state government had been making double efforts to combat the anticipated third wave and PICU and other children-related health infrastructure were being established in all the districts of the state.

Ashu lays stone to upgrade Mother & Child Hospital Foundation stone for upgrading the existing Mother and Child Hospital (MCH) from 100 to 200 beds at precincts of Civil Hospital was laid today by Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu.

Ashu said that up-gradation work would be completed in the next 15-months and the state government would spend Rs 15 crore.

He said that the new mother and child hospital would have six blocks in its two-floor building and would consist of facilities operation theatres, isolation wards, ultrasound rooms, private rooms, separate outpatient departments (OPD) of gynaecology and paediatrics, a general ward, offices and rooms for doctors, staff nurses, separate bathrooms, a canteen and waiting areas.