Madanapalli Covid hospital proves a boon to patients

Tirupati: Madanapalli Covid hospital proved a boon to scores of positive patients in the western part of Chittoor district by avoiding them to travel all the way to Tirupati for proper treatment to Covid 19.

The hospital was established on August 23, after rapid increase of positive cases in Madanapalli division. Till July 1, there were no cases reported in Madanapalli area, the other areas in the district like Tirupati and Srikalahasthi witnessed large number of positive cases. Later on Madanapalli, Tamaballapalli, Punganur and Piler constituencies too saw steady increase in Covid cases stirring the district officials and leaders from the area to set up a full pledged Covid hospital within a month.

Panchayat Raj Minister and senior YSRCP leader P Ramachandra Reddy, Rajampeta MP PV Mithun Reddy, local MLAs including Madanaplli M Navaz Basha and other MLAs were instrumental in developing the district hospital in Madanapalli into Covid hospital providing succour to the coronavirus affected.

The hospital included 20 ICU, 26 oxygen supported beds and 20 ventilators with a total staff of around 100 including 22 doctors, 35 paramedical staff including nurses, technicians and sanitary. Around 700 coronavirus patients were treated within two months and 96 more patients are undergoing treatment.

A round the clock help desk was set up with phone numbers 9390475582, 9100434316 and 9701968486, making it easy for the patients to reach out for help.

One of the recovered patients, Reddy Basha said that the hospital not only helped him to get treatment without travelling to Tirupati but also infused the much needed confidence among my worried family members. They were able to visit the hospital and know my condition from time to time through the helpdesk. Hospital superintendent Ram Murthy Naik said that the hospital has brought quality treatment to people in the backward area at free of cost and removed the burden on the state Covid hospital in Tirupati.

Due to the increase in the positive cases, recently 51 serious Covid patients were sent to Tirupati as the hospital was filled with patients. He said that this indicates that there was need for increasing the bed strength particularly for serious cases as there was no government hospital for Covid treatment in the four constituencies around Madanapalli.

Chittoor district is one of four districts in Andhra Pradesh with high incidence of Covid cases at national level, though the cases started declining.