First COVID-19 hospital in Kerala starts functioning

The first COVID-19 hospital in Kerala, built by the Tata Group, will commence from October 28. The hospital is an exact example of effective use of public and private partnership. Arrangements have also been completed by the state government to recruit 191 staff members for the hospital. The TATA group built this hospital as a part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative. The hospital is not a large building but neatly built cabins. These cabin-like structures have rooms with at least four strong iron cots and two air conditioners, separate cupboards for each bed and attached bathrooms for each room. In other sections, there are rooms for Intensive Care Units (ICUs) and ventilator facilities. There are also single rooms for isolation purpose. In total, the hospital, which was built at approximately Rs 60 crore, provides 540 beds. The facility was handed over to the state government on September 9. Earlier, The public protested over delays in the inauguration of the COVID -19 hospital. As the facility was not inaugurated on time, a district hospital was converted into a covid-19 hospital due to a rise in cases.