Surat NCH readies 300 beds for Covid patients, Vadodara reserves 200 beds

Three of the four confirmed cases of BF.7 Omicron variant reported in the country were from Gujarat, a statement from the Gujarat government said — two from Ahmedabad and one from Vadodara.

The Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) authorities has increased the Covid tests to 500 per day since December 22. The state is conducting 10,000 Covid tests.

Resident medical officer of NCH Surat, Dr Ketan Naik, said, “We have a separate Covid hospital with 1,000 beds, of which 300 beds are ready. We have three oxygen tanks of which one is with a capacity of 17 tonnes and two are of 13 tonnes each. From Monday, we will start regular OPD centre at the hospital and RT-PCR tests… The hospital will function round-the-clock…”

Adding that for the past few months the hospital was almost empty with no positive cases, Naik said, “If required, we will increase the number of beds… At present, we have spared three rooms in the special ward, especially for Covid patients, incase there’s a surge.”

Claiming that the SMC is “well-prepared”, deputy health commissioner Dr Ashish Naik said, “The testing of oxygen network and ventilators is done… We are also keeping a watch on foreign travellers. We have instructed private practitioners to coordinate with SMC health department if they come across any suspected case. We are also in touch with the airport authority of Ahmedabad and Mumbai to track Surat passengers.”

In Vadodara, at the government-run hospitals of SSG and Gotri, oxygen plants are being tested. According to VMC medical officer of health, Dr Devesh Patel, the city is prepared to handle a possible wave.

“At present, there is no reason to panic but we are preparing to handle any eventuality. We have readied around 150 to 200 beds, including in SSG, Gotri and other private hospitals but there has been no hospitalisation so far. The infrastructure is in place and can be increased as per requirement… It is natural to have recurring waves of Covid-19 for a couple of years more.”

Patel said that with a total installed capacity of about 100 MT of medical oxygen, including 40 MT tonnes in SSG and about 30 MT tonnes in GMERS-run Gotri Medical College, Vadodara is well equipped to handle the pressure of treating patients from other parts of the state, as it did since the outbreak in 2020.

Patel said that apart from a 61-year-old woman who tested positive for the BF.7 variant in September this year, no other case of the new variant has been recorded so far. According to the medical superintendent of SSG Hospital, there are no patients under treatment for Covid-19 at present at the hospital.

Districts in Central Gujarat have also started preparing to tackle a possible spread of the variant. In Mahisagar district, a team of health officials conducted a check of eight oxygen plants and held review meetings. District CDHO CR Patel visited the Lunavada General hospital and examined the oxygen plants in the district. The district has a capacity of 933 beds for Covid-19 treatment, of which 500 are equipped with oxygen and 13 beds with ventilators.

Similar exercises were also undertaken in Anand district, where the officials of the administration visited civil hospitals in Petlad and Anand to examine the oxygen plants. The district has 200 beds in government hospitals in Anand and Petlad, of which about 105 are equipped with oxygen supply.