New Delhi: Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal inaugurated the 10,000-bed Sardar Patel COVID-19 care centre, the 'largest' of its kind in the world, at the Radha Soami Satsang Beas in South Delhi's Chattarpur on Sunday with the first batch of patients expected to be admitted at the centre on the same day.
The centre has been set up for treating mild and asymptomatic coronavirus patients. It will also serve as a treatment centre for those who are asymptomatic but cannot afford home isolation.
Earlier on June 27, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also visited the newly created centre.
The two leaders then reviewed the arrangements at the sprawling facility, where 2,000 beds had been made operational, and work was on to increase the capacity to 10,000.
The Covid-19 centre has been developed under the Union Home Ministry's supervision to meet the beds' shortage amid the rise in the number of novel coronavirus cases in Delhi.
The centre is 1,700 feet long, 700 feet wide -- roughly the size of 20 football fields --and has 200 enclosures with 50 beds each.
More than 1,000 doctors, nurses and paramedic staff of the ITBP and other paramilitary forces have been deployed at the facility. An additional 1,000 paramedical, assistant and security staff have also been posted there.
It will account for 90 per cent of beds while the dedicated COVID health care will have the rest 10 per cent of beds. More than 75 ambulances will be deployed at the centre.
Authorities say it is the largest of its kind in the world.
"Our doctors, nurses paramedic staff will take care of this COVID-19 care facility. ITBP has experience of several months in handling COVID patients. Initially, ITBP was deployed at quarantine centres. We're also running a 200 bedded centre for the forces in Noida," said ITBP DG SS Deswal.
While the Delhi government has provided administrative support, the operation of this centre, including the availability of adequate medical personnel, has been entrusted to the central armed police forces, led by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP).
Meanwhile, the Radha Soami Beas has provided the campus, housing and other infrastructure as well as food. The Centre's bed capacity may rise to 10,200 in the near future.
Read: ITBP chief visits newly created COVID-19 care facility in Delhi
