By Ekraj Giri, Pokhara, May. 18: Construction of COVID-19 hospital being set up by the Pokhara Metropolitan City has kicked off in the district. The construction works are expected to complete within two weeks.

Following a massive increase in cases of coronavirus infection, the PMC decided to operate a COVID-19 hospital at the building of the PMC Ward 27 office.

"We have planned to operate the hospital even after the pandemic," said Mayor Man Bahadur GC.

The works began from Monday to immediately operate a 100-bed well-facilitated COVID-19 metropolitan hospital in the two-storey building.

"After the decision was made to set up the hospital in the ward office building, the ward office has been shifted to a house at Taalchowk," said Mayor GC.

Prior to this, an agreement had been made with Dr. Bhagwan Koirala to operate a children's hospital in the same building. However, as the works to operate the hospital did not move forward as per the agreement, the PMC decided to use the ward office building as COVID-19 hospital.

GC said that budget of around Rs. 20 million had been allotted for the operation of a 100-bed hospital. "We are setting up a hospital in coordination with various organisations," he said, adding that the hospital would be readied within two weeks.

Lion's Club International 325 B 1 has been helping the PMC to set up the hospital. Mohan Babu Khadka, a senior leader of the club, said, "We are providing aid to set up 50 isolation beds, three ventilators, six ICU beds, and other surgical materials."

According to Khadka, healthcare materials worth $16,000 were being provided by Lions International for the operation of the hospital and the club had provided Rs. 3.5 million.

Similarly, Mega Bank has also lent support to the PMC to establish the COVID-19 dedicated hospital at Lekhnath, Kaski. Madan Acharya, director of the bank, said, "Agreement has been concluded to provide 10 beds to the hospital for which, the budget of Rs. 350,000 has been separated."

The PMC had decided to establish the hospital by replacing the ward 27 office after Mayor GC, Kaski Chief District Officer Thaneshwor Gautam, Deputy-mayor Manju Devi Gurung jointly inspected the building.

Rs. 10 million distributed to five local levels

Meanwhile, the District Coordination Committee, Kaski has decided to provide Rs. 10 million to the local levels of Kaski for the prevention and control of COVID-19. The virtual meeting of the committee held on Tuesday decided to provide the fund to four Rural Municipalities, one Metropolitan City, and other metropolitan-level hospitals.

The meeting was chaired by Bain Bahadur Chhetri Adhikari, coordination chief of the district. "Decision to provide the fund was made in order to make the health infrastructure and human resources more efficient for COVID-19 response in Kaski, which has been hit hard by the second wave of the pandemic," said Adhikari.