Amid the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the national capital, the Delhi government has started converting Radha Soami Spiritual Centre in Chhatarpur, South Delhi, into world’s largest temporary COVID-19 care facility with 10,000 beds, reported NDTV.
South Delhi District Magistrate BM Mishra said the facility will function like 20 mini hospitals with 500 beds each.
‘Each 500-bed hospital will have 5-10 enclosures of 50-100 beds. Ten per cent of the beds will have oxygen supply. However, it will not have ventilators. We have made arrangements for referral with super-speciality hospitals for critical patients,’ Mishra told the media.
The centre will also have ambulances and its own pathology laboratory for testing. In addition, at least 400 doctors will be working at the centre in two shifts and double the number of paramedics.
The centre has a covered area of 12,50,000 square feet – as large as 22 football fields. It has preinstalled fans and CCTV cameras, where around 3 lakh people used to attend sermons prior to the pandemic, enabling it to be quickly converted into a COVID care facility.
Until recently, the facility was being used to shelter migrant workers. Its community kitchens are semi-industrial and have the capacity to feed thousands of people at a time, according to Vikas Sethi, secretary of Radha Soami Satsang Beas, Bhati Mines.
The facility will also have corrugated cardboard beds, which is not necessary to be sanitised but can be, and are recyclable.
‘These beds need not be sanitised as the virus does not remain stable on cardboard for more than 24 hours; on metal, plastic and wood the virus can stay for up to five days. These beds are also really light, easy to assemble and dismantle. Supplying these beds for the facility is a matter of pride for us,’ said Vikram Dhavan, director of Dhavan Box Sheet Containers Pvt Ltd, which is making and supplying the beds.
Furthermore, Mishra said they were trying to implement the best e-management systems to ensure that the facility is well-managed. They are also trying to ascertain manpower needs and are getting help from the military, paramilitary and philanthropists for the massive task.
The works are expected to be completed by June 30.
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