The first Catholic medical facility in India fully equipped to serve Covid-19 patients has been inaugu-rated in Bengaluru in Karnataka State.
The Covid care centre at St John’s Medical College, which has 48 isolation beds, a 24-bed intensive treat-ment unit (ITU) and a 24-bed intensive care unit (ICU), was blessed and inaugurated by Archbishop Peter Machado of Bangalore on Aug. 17.
“The Church is always at the fore-front to help the poor and the needy, whether in the education or health fields, and it is an opportunity to give our selfless service to our society and nation,” Archbishop Machado told UCA News.
“Our hospital has taken a leading step to provide healthcare to people during these crucial times. It is a first in the country and I salute and thank people who made this possible.”
He said the medical college has given free treatment worth over 5 million rupees (US$67,000) in the last five months in tackling pandemic cases.
By the end of July, it had screened more than 5,000 fever patients, 2,000 patients in the emergency department, treated more than 600 patients on the wards and taken care of some 500 critically ill patients in the ICU.