Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan along with Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath, digitally inaugurated the Super Speciality Block (SSB) at Motilal Nehru Medical College, Prayagraj. The 220-bedded facility has been dedicated as a COVID Hospital (DCH) to the nation. The Union Health Minister also digitally inaugurated first high throughput COBAS 6800 machine in Uttar Pradesh, installed by ICMR to pursue its regionally balanced COVID Testing strategy.
The Super Speciality Block is built with an investment of Rs 150 crores under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY). It has departments of Neurology, Neurosurgery, Nephrology, Urology, Plastic surgery, Endocrinology, Surgical Oncology, Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery. There will be seven Operation Theaters, 233 Super Specialty Beds, 52 ICU Beds, 13 dialysis beds in the SSB. This facility will have a training capacity of 24 PG students.
Launching the COBAS 6800 high throughput machine, Dr Harsh Vardhan stated “The COBAS 6800, a fully automated, high end machine for performing real time PCR testing for COVID-19 will provide quality, high-volume testing with a high throughput of around 1200 samples in 24 hours. COBAS 6800 can also detect other pathogens like Viral Hepatitis B & C, HIV, MTb (both Rifampicin and Isoniazide resistance), Papilloma, Cytomegalovirus, Chlamydia, Neiserreia etc.”
It can be operated remotely with limited human intervention, he added.
CM Yogi Adityanath thanked the Union Government for its proactive role in strengthening the health infrastructure in Uttar Pradesh through PMSSY. Speaking on the timely importance of the new SSB built under the scheme that has been converted into a COVID Hospital, he said that people of adjoining districts like Kaushambi, Chitrakoot, Banda, Pratapgarh and Mirzapur will also be greatly benefitted. He informed that at the onset of the pandemic, 26 districts did not have a single ventilator but with the help of the Union Government, the COVID medical infrastructure in the state has been turned around which now has 1.75 lakh dedicated beds, daily tests ranging from 1.5-2 lakhs and at least one Level-I and Level-II COVID Care facility in every district.
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