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Converting an Under-Construction Healthcare Facility into a COVID-19 Screening and Emergency Response Centre During Complete Lockdown in India

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 August 2021

Vijaydeep Siddharth Open the ORCID record for Vijaydeep Siddharth [Opens in a new window] ,
Mohammad Kausar ,
K Vamsi Krishna Reddy ,
T.P. Arif ,
Tejprakash Sinha ,
Sanjeev Bhoi ,
Puneet Khanna  and
Maneesh Singhal
Vijaydeep Siddharth*
Affiliation:
Department of Hospital Administration, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
Mohammad Kausar
Affiliation:
Department of Hospital Administration, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh, India
K Vamsi Krishna Reddy
Affiliation:
Department of Hospital Administration, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Mangalagiri, Guntur District, Andhra Pradesh, India
T.P. Arif
Affiliation:
Department of Hospital Administration, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
Tejprakash Sinha
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
Sanjeev Bhoi
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
Puneet Khanna
Affiliation:
Department of Anaesthesia, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
Maneesh Singhal
Affiliation:
Department of Burns and Plastic Surgery, AIIMS, New Delhi, India
*
Corresponding author: Vijaydeep Siddharth, Email: [email protected].
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Abstract

In view of the COVID-19 surge, the construction of the Burns and Plastic Surgery Block at AIIMS, New Delhi was expedited at war footing level and converted into a COVID-19 Emergency response Centre (ERC). Engineering works were completed in a speedy manner and various patient care areas were equipped as deemed necessary for providing tertiary care to COVID-19 patients. A highly spirited team comprising of Emergency Medicine Specialists, Anesthesia and Critical Care specialist, Hospital Administrators and Nursing Officers was formed. Effective segregation of patient care areas into clean, contaminated, and intermediate zones was done using physical barriers and air conditioning modifications. The screening area for patients suspected of having COVID-19 was created in addition to a 2-step process i.e., Triage 1 and Triage 2, thereafter, patients requiring admission would be referred to the emergency area. An in-house designed and fabricated sampling booth was created to bring down the use of PPEs and for better infection control. The ERC has a general ward and state of the art intensive care units. Mobilizing resources (machinery, manpower, consumables etc.) during the lockdown required commitment from top leadership, motivated teams, expeditious procurement, coordination with multiple agencies working on site, expediting statutory clearances, coordination with police services, transportation of labor etc.

Keywords

Coronavirus diseaseCOVID hospitalCOVID managementemergency response centrehealthcare facility planning
Type
Brief Report
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 16 , Issue 5 , October 2022 , pp. 1839 - 1843
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc.

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