Augmenting hospital infrastructure need of the hour as demand surges in Ernakulam

KOCHI: The demand for augmenting health infrastructure, in terms of hospitals and centres, is steadily increasing as Covid-19 positive cases with moderate and severe symptoms have been going up in Ernakulam district .


As many as 658 of the total 1,360 ICU beds, which are available for Covid treatment in both government and private sectors, are occupied.

Also, of the 394 ventilators available in the district, 94 are already in use. A total of 2,401 of 4,560 rooms are currently occupied. And of the 10,149 beds earmarked for Covid patients at various facilities in the district, 3,674 are occupied. All these numbers are much higher than they were a fortnight ago. Given the pace of increase in number of patients with moderate and severe illness, facilities in the district may reach saturation point soon.

“We will be upgrading two Covid first line treatment centres in the district into centres where category B patients and patients with moderate symptoms could be treated. At Adlux Convention Centre in Angamaly , there are around 300 beds. Adlux will be one of the CFLTCs which will be upgraded to treat patients with moderate symptoms,” said Dr N K Kuttappan, district medical officer, Ernakulam. “Once patients with moderate symptoms are shifted to CFLTCs, the load on Government Medical College , which is the only Covid hospital in the district now, can be reduced. Then, treatment of patients with severe illness can be done at the medical college with more focus,” he said.

At present, 1,355 patients are undergoing treatment at various facilities in the district. According to district administration, Ernakulam is in fifth stage of the pandemic where 1,000 to 1,800 patients are expected. And as per their surge plan, officials project that there would around 1,440 patients with mild and 270 with moderate symptoms. Though patients with severe symptoms were anticipated at 90, the number of patients has already touched 94. This means, the district administration has to change plans to meet the challenges.

According to health department officials, the second Covid hospital would start functioning at PVS hospital soon. The government had taken over a few hospitals for Covid treatment a couple of months ago. “We are completing certain maintenance work. The hospital would start functioning soon after,” Kuttappan said, adding that district administration has expedited its work. Moreover, officials with the health department said burden on CFLTCs too would come down if asymptomatic patients could undergo home care.