UP Government sanctions Rs 13 crore for Covid fight in Gorakhpur as cases rise

New Delhi: The rising number of coronavirus cases in Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s home district of Gorakhpur has prompted the Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday to release Rs 13 Crore for buying equipment like ventilators and infusion pumps for the BRD Medical College in Gorakhpur.

An upcoming 500-bed pediatric centre at the BRD Medical College will be used as a Level-3 COVID dedicated hospital with the availability of 300 beds from August 30, the UP government has ordered while releasing Rs 8.29 Crore for buying COVID related equipment immediately to operationalise the unit. This includes 30 high-end ICU ventilators, 200 Infusion pumps, 50 cardiac wall monitors, high flow nasal cannulas and pulse oximeters. Another Rs 4.73 Crore has been released for buying Covid-19 related equipment for the main BRD Medical College immediately.

Gorakhpur has seen a sharp rise in coronavirus cases with nearly 5,800 total cases so far and 2,463 active cases and 88 deaths. The district is now behind only Lucknow and Kanpur in terms of number of active cases, putting a lot of pressure on the BRD Medical College which is the only big government hospital in the district. CM Yogi Adityanath had visited the upcoming 500-bed paediatric facility in the BRD Medical College last week during a visit to Gorakhpur, which has been made for treatment of children who suffer due to encephalitis prevalent in the Purvanchal region.

For now, 300 beds at the new paediatric facility will be devoted for Coronavirus patients given the urgency posed by the pandemic. UP government has also sanctioned Rs 2.36 Cr and Rs 2.23 Cr for the government medical colleges in Jalaun and Prayagraj respectively.