KATHMANDU, SEPTEMBER 6

The government has decided to develop Bir Hospital as a dedicated hospital for treatment of COVID-19 patients.

A meeting of the Health Emergency Command System held today decided to this effect, Spokesperson for the Ministry of Health and Population Dr Jageshwor Gautam said. Dr Gautam added that regular health care services being delivered from Bir Hospital would be provided from the National Trauma Centre. With the latest move of the government, the patients of the hospital would be shifted to the National Trauma Centre.

Prior to this, Shukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital and Armed Police Force Hospital in Balambu were named as the dedicated hospitals for the treatment of Covid-19 patients in the capital city.

The ministry and Health Service Department would deploy medical students from different medical institutions as volunteers for the prevention and control of coronavirus infection after signing a contract agreement. Spokesperson Dr Gautam said the volunteers would visit coronavirus infected places for awareness raising events.

The Ministry of Finance has released budget for 60 ICU beds. Dr Gautam said those ICU beds would be readied at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital and Dhulikhel Hospital.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on September 7, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.