Tata's hospital ready at Kasargod, but doctors' appointments lag

Even as a 551-bedded Covid-19 hospital building set up by the Tata group at Kasargod district in Kerala in four months time was handed over to the state government on Wednesday, it will take more time for the hospital to start functioning as the appointment of staff and installation of equipment for the hospital is still pending.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has dedicated the Rs. 60 crore project to the government at a function held online. The hospital is set up at 5.5-acre land allotted by the state government at Thekkil, about 10 kilometres from Kasargod town.

Tata group offered the hospital as part of their corporate social responsibility scheme considering the backwardness of Kasargod district in the health sector, which got exposed when the district witnessed a surge in Covid-19 patients during March-April.

Udma MLA K Kunhiraman said that it would take some more time for the hospital to start functioning as posting of doctors and other staff as well as medical equipment are pending. At present only the building has been handed over by Tata to the state government.

Now the government will have to create the required posts and set up the medical infrastructure which may take some time, he said.

Meanwhile, the district administration is planning to make use of the facility as Covid-19 First-Line Treatment Centre for the time being.

The hospital has been set up using 128 containers in three zones with 81,000 square feet. While two-zone are earmarked for those in quarantine, one block is earmarked for Covid-19 positive patients.