Hyderabad: As Hyderabad languishes under a fresh surge of COVID-19 cases amid a lack of resources and facilities, Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) is planning to convert the air-conditioned function halls into COVID care centers for critical patients.
According to the GHMC authorities, function halls in each circle across six zones under the civic body’s jurisdiction have been identified. Deployment of additional doctors and medical staff for treating patients is underway.
According to reports, officials have said that these facilities will be used when government hospital beds and ICU rooms are depleted. AC rooms seem to be suitable for isolating COVID-19 patients with code 19, which is why the GHMC has come up with this idea.
There are 30 constituencies within the limits of GHMC and the Deputy Commissioners in each constituency have been alerted to set up a functional hall in their respective areas as a COVID-19 Care Center.
In the Kukatpally zone alone, approximately 1,100 beds can be placed in five AC function halls within its boundaries. Officials estimate that the Naina Garden Function Hall in Kukatpally could accommodate 400 beds.
Speaking to The New Indian Express, V Mamatha, Zonal Commissioner (Kukatpally), said that beds and required medical equipment will be set up in function halls when demand rises for ICU beds in the city. “To contain the spread of the virus, we have formed teams to take up door-to-door fever surveys. We have also commenced OP services in all UHCs and PHCs,” she said.
The COVID-19 situation remains grim with the state seeing 52 COVID-19 deaths on Wednesday, while 6,026 fresh cases pushed the infection tally to 4,75,748.