Convert MCL’s hospital at Talcher as COVID-19 hospital: Pradhan

Bhubaneswar: Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has sought the intervention of Union Coal Minister Pralhad Joshi for operation of MCL’s hospital at Talcher as COVID-19 hospital with urgent provisioning of 100 ventilators.

In a letter, Pradhan said due to the explosive resurgence of COVID-19 cases in Angul district, it is necessary to grant emergency permission for supplementing COVID-19 care at MCL’s Nehru Satabdi Central Hospital (NSCH) at Talcher with 100 ventilators.

NSCH Talcher was functioning as COVID-19 hospital with 144 beds and six ICU units during the first wave of the pandemic.

“Keeping in mind the exponential rise in number of Covid-19 cases in Angul and limited number of COVID-19 treatment facilities in the region, it is essential to operationalize and supplement critical medical infrastructure in the region,” said Pradhan.

“I therefore seek your personal intervention in declaring NSCH as COVID Hospital with ICU facilities and also issue necessary permission to officials concerned for making urgent arrangements of 100 ventilators at the hospital,” the letter read.