The Public Health department of Odisha has instructed all government medical colleges and Chief District Medical Officers (CDMO) to be ready to offer the necessary healthcare facilities if necessary in light of an increase in Covid-19 cases.

The director of the Public Health department instructed all healthcare facilities to be prepared to handle Covid patients requiring hospitalisation in a letter to the directors of Capital Hospital, RGH Hospital, CDMOs, and superintendents of all government medical colleges and hospitals.

The letter requests that the SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack, MKCG in Berhampur, VIMSAR in Burla, and SLNMCH in Koraput reserve at least 20 beds, including at least two ICU beds, for COVID-19.

In a similar vein, all District Headquarters Hospitals (DHH) and affiliated medical schools must set aside at least 10 beds for use as isolation Covid facilities, with additional beds available in case further space is needed. The memo stated that all prefabricated, newly built Covid emergency blocks were to be kept prepared with the necessary logistics.

The letter went on to state that all CHCs with prefab buildings must set aside six beds in them for Covid cases, and that all facilities above must be managed using current staff.

Moreover, oxygen concentrators, oxygen cylinders, LMO, and PSA must be kept ready and functional. For any potential increase in the number of cases that must be handled at each facility, a backup plan must be created.

All medical colleges, DHHs, SDHs, and CHCs must provide walk-in COVID testing facilities and fever clinics. Additionally, mock drills will be conducted on April 10 and 11, 2023, to assess the readiness of the hospital in terms of essential medications, beds, including ICU beds, medical equipment, medical oxygen, building human resource capacity on existing guidelines, vaccination coverage, and report compliance.