Gandhi Hospital to resume non-Covid services from August 3

The State-run Gandhi Hospital here will launch its non-Covid services including outpatient, inpatient and emergency health care services from August 3, after a gap of over four months.

Following the surge of Covid infections during the second wave, the State government had converted Gandhi Hospital into a Covid-only facility in April. As a result, services for all non-Covid general patients had to be stopped at the hospital.

With Covid patients still admitted at Gandhi hospital, authorities have decided to utilise the orthopaedic ICU on the second and third floors for treating Covid cases and the fourth floor for treating cases of Mucormycosis. The rest of the hospital areas and wards will be utilised for general non-Covid services, hospital superintendent Dr M Raja Rao said in a circular.

Covid infections are still high at Gandhi hospital and due to the possibility of a subsequent surge in cases, all the medical departments in the hospital will allocate 40 percent of their doctors, senior residents and PG medicos



for Covid services while the rest of the 60 percent will provide services to general non-Covid services. 

Dr Raja Rao has also directed the Nursing Superintendent and Health Inspectors to prepare wards, Operation Theatres and other areas within the hospital for Covid and non-Covid services strictly based on hospital infection control protocols.

During the first Covid wave, Gandhi Hospital was converted into a Covid-only facility on March 2, 2020 and continued to cater to Covid patients till November, 2020. The hospital launched non-Covid services in November, 2020 but by April this year, it once again had to be converted into a Covid-only facility due to the second Covid wave.

Hospital officials said detailed Covid safety protocols for entry and exit of non-Covid patients at Gandhi Hospital would be prepared in the coming days. The Superintendent said that following Covid appropriate behaviour was mandatory for all non-Covid patients who enter the hospital premises.