Hubballi KIMS gets Vedanta's Covid field hospital

Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) in Hubballi, which is treating Covid-19 patients from different districts in the region, is now equipped a 100-bed field hospital set up by Vedanta Group.

'Vedanta Cares' Covid field hospital, built in less than three weeks, includes oxygen supply to all beds, along with 20 ICU beds, triage rooms, exam rooms, X-Ray, ECG, patient monitoring systems, ventilators and other facilities. Vedanta Group will maintain the hospital, while the medical staff will be from KIMS. A similar hospital is already set up by Vedanta Group in Chitradurga.

After inaugurating the hospital on Saturday, Union Parliamentary Affairs, Coal & Mines Minister Pralhad Joshi suggested the KIMS administration to use this facility to treat all Covid patients at KIMS when cases come down, and to use other buildings for non-Covid treatment. This field hospital would also come in handy to ably manage the possible third wave of Covid-19, he added.

Vedanta Resources chairman Anil Agarwal, who joined the occasion virtually, expressed willingness to join hands in service activities in future also.

Large & Medium Scale Industries Minister Jagadish Shettar stated that the field hospital building can be used for 15 years.

As the demand for liquid oxygen to treat Covid patients in the state has come down to 550 MT now, deputy commissioners are given the power to allocate additional liquid oxygen available to industries, while oxygen generation plants are also being set up, he noted.

Legislative Council chairman Basavaraj Horatti lauded KIMS for efficiently treating Covid-19 and mucormycosis (black fungus) patients. He also shared his own experience of getting treatment for Covid-19 at KIMS.