The Singareni Collieries Company Limited will hire the services of 21 retired company or government doctors on contract basis for deployment in its area hospitals to treat workers who have contracted COVID-19.
This announcement was made by the chairman and managing director M. Sridhar at a video conference with directors based at the company’s headquarters in Kothagudem and senior officials of health department. He told them that the company had already made available to its area hospitals drugs, kits and personal protective equipment worth ₹8 crore. More material would be procured on need basis irrespective of expenditure.
He asked the authorities of area hospitals to arrange 600 beds in addition to the present 643 beds to treat virus patients.
Giving the present status of virus spread in the coal belt, the authorities of hospitals said 2,384 persons tested positive in the tests carried out on 10,583 persons. As many as 808 persons were discharged after treatment. There were 226 persons left in hospitals and another 1,208 at the quarantine centres run by the company. Eighty three critical patients were referred to corporate hospitals in Hyderabad.
In his response, Mr. Sridhar asked doctors to step up testing and shift symptomatic cases to the special wards at the company's hospitals. Depending on intensity, the patients could be sent to corporate hospitals. He asked doctors to be more vigilant in the coming days. He also asked directors to send him reports on a daily basis after reviewing the situation. He would himself review the position area-wise every week.
