Extension of hospitals project

Why in news?

• To plug a major health infrastructure gap in India's fight against Covid-19, especially in rural areas and smaller towns, India has started project 'Extension of Hospitals' in various states.

What are Modular Hospitals?

• Modular hospitals are an extension of hospital infra that can be built adjacent to an existing hospital building.
• They consist of various life-support equipment and medical devices.
• After identifying the requirements of around 50 hospitals in states that were reporting the highest number of Covid-19 cases, the government of India has initiated Project Extension Hospitals.
• This project aims to set up 20-100 bedded hospitals in 10 days to 4 weeks, in various districts which are seeing a rapid surge of confirmed COVID-19 cases.
• Under this premises, Modulus Housing, a start-up incubated at IIT Madras has developed the MediCAB hospitals which enable building a 100-bedded extension facility in 3-weeks’ time.
• MediCAB hospitals are designed with a dedicated zone of Intensive Care Units that can accommodate various life-support equipment and medical devices.
• These negative pressure portable hospitals are future-ready.
• They have the durability of around 25 years, and can also be shifted in the future for any disaster response in less than a week.

Prelims Question

Consider the following statements regarding Modular hospital concept:
1.They aim at creation of largescale green field hospitals in small time.
2.These hospitals are highly portable.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a)1 only
(b)2 only
(c)Both 1 and 2
(d)Neither 1 nor 2

Answer to the Prelims Question