A 50-bed paediatric hospital is going to be set up at Kantilal Gandhi Memorial Hospital at Bistupur.
The proposed paediatric hospital will be set up by the district administration for Covid patients, thus aimed at giving relief to the children who are falling victim to the infection.
District civil surgeon A.K. Lal said the district administration has taken up the KGMH for combating Covid among children.
"We are going to set up the pediatric hospital at the KGMH keeping in view of the Covid pandemic. Once the pandemic is over, we will hand over the hospital to the KGMH trust, "said Lal to The Telegraph Online.
The civil surgeon stated that work for setting up the hospital will begin soon.
The KGMH located at South Park in Bistupur, was earlier taken over by Calcutta-based Medica in 2014. But after Medica wound up its operation in May 2020, the hospital was lying idle. After the re-emerging of the pandemic, the KGMH was turned into a Covid-designated hospital. The paediatric hospital will come up alongside the existing Covid treatment facility there.
After the pandemic re-emerged in March this year and several children were getting infected, East Singhbhum deputy commissioner Suraj Kumar took up the decision to take over the hospital to set up a pediatric hospital.
At present, there is no exclusive paediatric hospital in the district. Covid cases among children till 14 years are increasing exponentially.
District disease surveillance officer, Sahir Paul said during the first phase of pandemic in 2020, 843 children were infected with Covid.
"But in the second phase which began from March this year, the number of Covid-infected children has gone up to 1,290," said Paul to The Telegraph Online.
According to health department sources, two paediatric hospitals having 20 beds each will also be set up at Sadar Hospital in Khaasmahal and at the Ghatsila sub-divisional hospital in Ghatsila shortly.