50 bedded critical care unit to come up at Tata COVID Hospital at cost of Rs 23.75 crore

Kasaragod: The state government has sanctioned Rs 23.75 crore to build a new ' 50-bed critical care unit' at Tata hospital, Kasaragod, by dismantling the COVID hospital. Tata Group built the COVID hospital at an estimated cost of Rs 60 crore at Thekkil village in Kasaragod almost two and half years ago to fight against COVID.

During the COVID pandemic, Tata group established the hospital using 128 prefabricated shipping containers in five months. They are expected to serve the purpose for 25 to 30 years if properly maintained. Udma MLA and CPM leader C H Kunhambu pointed out that the shipping containers are not suitable for the climate of Kasaragod. Hence, a new building will come up to replace them. He added that upgrading the COVID hospital to a 'critical care centre' was a unanimous decision based on the demand of the Assembly members, reports a daily. 

However, the decision has received some criticism from government medical professionals who thought that the amount could have been invested in completing the medical college hospital block at Ukkinadka in Badiadka grama panchayat. An office-bearer of the Kerala Government Medical Officers Association informed Onmanorama, "We don't need another hospital building. We need doctors in existing hospitals in Kasaragod." 

On April 9, immediately after, the state government declared that the Tata Group was constructing a new hospital in Kasaragod. The Malabar Islamic Complex, a school agreed to donate 5.5 acres for the project after being persuaded by the District Government. The hospital was built up over the course of five months using 128 specially designed shipping containers that each measured 40x10x10 feet and were brought in from Faridabad, Howrah, Mangaluru, Hyderabad, and Ahmedabad.

The hospital was inaugurated by CM on 9th September 2020. But, soon rainwater began to leak into the containers through the windows and roof. To fix it, the Tata Group dispatched personnel. Yet, the issues could not be resolved. After that, the government introduced 188 positions for the hospital and filled a number of posts. 4,987 COVID patients were treated at the hospital. 

Later the District Legal Service Authority secretary (sub-judge) B Karunakaran submitted a letter to the Supreme Court and stated that the hospital had a "lot of issues in the structure such as leaking rooms, the durability of floor built using plywood, and high risk of fire. The cabin structure does not have a concrete basement either." " With no Covid patients, the machines, including the ventilators, remain idle. "Running the hospital in its present condition will be inconvenient and expensive," the report further added.

After that Kanhangad MLA E Chandrasekharan requested the government to turn the hospital into a specialty palliative care centre. However, there was no progress on the matter. Kunhambu said that after the critical care unit becomes functional, it would work as an annex of the District Hospital in Kanhangad. In other hospitals, the personnel had undergone rehabilitation. As soon as the critical care unit is ready, they will be returned to Tata Hospital, according to Kunhambu. Then, though, it won't be Tata Hospital.

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