Pondy govt asks private medical colleges to set up testing labs by Sep 10

PUDUCHERRY: The Puducherry administration on Friday directed all private medical colleges in the union territory to set up COVID-19 testing labs by September 10.

District Collector-cum-Health department Secretary T Arun issued an order to this effect under the Epidemic Diseases Act 1897 and the Disaster Management Act 2005.

As per the order, the management of the hospitals was directed to ensure that each of them earmarked 300 beds for coronavirus patients referred to them by the government.

The Collector said these measures were absolutely necessary in view of the continued rise in COVID-19 cases in the union territory. The colleges have also been directed to ensure that at least 100 beds out of the additional 300 beds were equipped with oxygen apparatus by September 10.

There are seven privately managed medical colleges in the Union Territory. The government-run Indira Gandhi Government Medical College Hospital and the Centrally-administered JIPMER are Covid hospitals.

The government has also opened Covid Care Centre at the Mahatma Gandhi Government Dental College here. Puducherry and its outlying regions registered 591 new cases on Friday pushing the overall tally to 16,172.

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