By: Afaq Bhat
Srinagar: The 500-bedded temporary Covid hospitals being set up by Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) in Jammu and Srinagar are likely to start functioning soon.
According to the officials the DRDO hospital at Bhagwati Nagar in Jammu would be functional in next 10 days. “The work on DRDO hospital at Khonmoh in Srinagar is also going on and it’s also likely to be completed soon,” said an official.
Advisor to Lieutenant Governor, Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar chaired a high level meeting to review the progress of work on establishment of two 500 bedded DRDO Hospitals at Jammu and Srinagar respectively on Tuesday.
Advisor Bhatnagar directed the concerned officers to expedite the pace of work and ensure that the hospitals are completed within the given timelines and dedicated to public use at the earliest.
An observer while talking to Precious Kashmir said, “The setting up of DRDO hospitals in Jammu and Srinagar on a war footing basis has proven it beyond doubt that when the government wants it can do anything.”
He said that the need for these hospitals had arisen due to major hospitals in Jammu and Srinagar facing space crunch due to the spike in the COVID-19 cases during the ongoing second wave. “The setting up of these private hospitals would prevent the health infrastructure from crumbling due to extreme rush of patients,” the observer added.
He said, “The initiative taken by the government has instilled confidence among the people that they won’t be left in lurch and every possible help will be provided to them to fight the pandemic. At present we are all caught in a difficult situation. The virus is refusing to relent and people are shying away from getting vaccinated. People should bear in mind that vaccination is the key to defeating the virus.”
A medico said, “One more 500-bedded hospital in Srinagar will prove to be of great help as there is a possibility about a third COVID-19 wave breaking out. The second wave has taught us many lessons. The surge in cases could be abrupt and if the patients get the treatment on time their lives could be saved.”
He said, “Setting up of DRDO hospitals, and 5-bedded COVID-19 care centers in every Panchayat are very good initiatives. More such steps need to be taken to prevent the predicted third wave of COVID-19 from taking an ugly turn. We need to be prepared to face any eventuality.”
