Kerala’s first COVID hospital with 541 beds gets ready

The first COVID hospital of the state is almost ready at Puthiya Valappil, Chattanchal, Kasaragod. The 541-bed hospital, on five acres of land, would be ready for handover in less than a week, the Tata Group informed the district administration.

The proposal of the Tata Group to set up a COVID hospital in Kasaragod was accepted as cases were spiking in a second wave in the district. Also, the limited treatment facilities in the district was a growing cause of concern for the administrators. The Tata Group’s responsibilities would end with the construction. The state government will have to take up the commissioning of the hospital. The tasks including setting up of amenities like beds and appointing doctors and health staff were the responsibility of the government.

The Tata Group had started the construction on April 11 and the work was completed in 124 days.

In a kind gesture, the earth-mover owners of the district and their association had given their machines free of cost for the work. Over 50 earth-movers worked for two weeks to level the land.

Pre-fab technology

The prefabricated units, which form the main structure, were brought to the site from various manufacturing units of the Tata Group on container lorries. It was then fixed on a concrete platform. The pre-fabricated units were brought from pants in Chandigarh, Faridabad, Hyderabad, and Howrah. The rest of the requirement was met from Mangaluru. A prefab sandwiches a thermocol puff between steel plates and this is supposed to reduce heat inside the units.

These are the specifications of the hospital:

The total cost of construction was Rs. 60 crore. There are a total of 128 pre-fab units and it is spread over 51,200 sq ft. The road work would be completed in two days once the rain subsides. The units could function for 30 years and well-maintained units survive up to 50 years.

One unit is 10 metre long and four-metre wide. Units for those under observation will have five beds and those tested positive, three beds. For the aged, there are single-bed units too. The beds could be added without hassles in any unit.

Every unit will have two air-conditioners and duct ACs are used to ensure better air circulation. There are separate bathrooms for every unit. There would be five fans per unit.

One row will have two units and two rows facing one another. There would be a roofed corridor/pathway between the rows. This is to ensure easy movement of doctors and health workers.