Following an upsurge in the COVID-19 cases and also warning of a possible rise in cases by July-August, the BBMP has decided to set up field hospitals in the city.
It has already set up the first facility at the Haj Bhavan with a capacity of 500 beds, which will start functioning from Saturday.
A hospital with 1,000 beds will come up at Gayatri Vihar on Palace Grounds along with 250 beds at the Kanteerava Indoor Stadium. At the Koramangala Indoor Stadium, a 250-bed hospital will be set up.
Nearly 2,000 COVID-19 patients can be accommodated in all these facilities.
Sarfaraz Khan, BBMP joint commissioner for health, told DH that the Haj Bhavan was chosen as a field hospital as there are already 500 beds used by pilgrims before the onset of the pandemic. Earlier, the place was used to quarantine people.
“We have sanitised the area. Doctors and medical staff will be deployed from Saturday evening, who will work in shifts. After seven days, they will be sent to quarantine and fresh staff will come to work,” Khan said.
“Even though we want to add 250 more beds at the Kanteerava stadium, the facilities there are not in line with the COVID-19 protocol; for example, there should be one toilet for every 10 patients. Such arrangements are not available at the stadium."
The arrangements for the field hospital were made following the government’s direction.
While the BBMP will provide food and other basic facilities, the health department will deploy doctors and medical staff, he said.
If there is a further increase in the cases, the BBMP plans to open the facility at the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC) on Tumakuru Road and the Karnataka Trade Promotion Organisation (KTPO) exhibition hall in Whitefield.
“If these hospitals are not enough, we may use BIEC, which has seven auditoriums. An auditorium can accommodate a thousand patients," Khan said.
“We also have plans to convert marriage halls as field hospitals. The Palike may rent cots and purchase beds. After the patient is discharged, those beds will be scientifically disposed of."