KARACHI: Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Friday ordered establishment of 10,000-bedded field hospitals across the province. “The provincial government must prepare to establish field hospitals in every district,” he said, adding that the number of Covid-19 infected patients was swelling as more tests were being conducted.

This he said while presiding over a high-level meeting of the provincial health department at the CM House.

The meeting was attended by Health Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho, Health Secretary Zahid Abbasi, CM’s focal person on coronavirus Najam Shah and additional health secretary Fayaz Abbasi.

The CM also directed the health minister to identify vacant or newly constructed government buildings and grounds where isolation centres could be set up.

The chief minister directed the education department to hand over the newly constructed building in Tando Mohammad Khan for setting up a field hospital when he was informed that it had the capacity to house at least 50 patients. He approved to establish a 50-bedded hospital within a week.

The chief minister directed the health minister to arrange medical and paramedical staff and medicines for the field hospitals being established at the district level.

The health minister told the CM that 185 critical-care units equipped with ventilators were established in different hospitals. They include 10 in Dow University’s Ojha campus, 11 in Indus Hospital, 10 in Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT), 12 in Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital, 12 in Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, three in Lyari General Hospital, 14 in Trauma Centre Karachi, 20 in Liaquat University Hospital Hyderabad, eight in Liaquat University Hospital Jamshoro, 14 in Peoples Medical University Shaheed Benazirabad, 10 in Khairpur Medical College, six in Sukkur, 14 in Chandka Medical College Larkana, 20 in GIMS Gambat, four in Syed Abdullah Shah Institute Sehwan, five in District Headquarters Hospital (DHQ) Kotri, five in Indus Hospital Badin, three in DHQ Thatta, two in DHQ Sujawal and two in Jacobabad.

The chief minister directed Local Government Minister Syed Nasir Shah to order disinfectant spray in every district.

He said that there must be a proper cleanliness system so that other diseases could be prevented from appearing while containing the coronavirus.