By Daniel Tyokua
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has said COVID-19 intervention centre at Karu is ready to start receiving and treating coronavirus pandemic patients.
Mohammed Kawu, the Acting secretary for FCT Health and Human Services Secretariat (HHSS) disclosed that necessary facilities have been put in place for the full take-off of the centre soon.
He gave the assurance on Tuesday, when the contractor handed over the facility to the FCT Health Secretariat.
The COVID-19 intervention centre at Karu was initially a general hospital but part of it physiotherapy had been rehabilitated and converted to a COVID-19 Intervention Centre Unit (ICU).
Kawu explained that the centre as a grade 2 treatment place presently have about 30 bed spaces and 15 wards for handling COVID-19 cases.
He said the project which was awarded in late March this year, is one of the measures put in place by the FCT Administration to mitigate the effect of the ravaging virus pandemic in the territory.
“The contract for the rehabilitation and conversion of the physiotherapy unit of Karu General hospital to a COVID-19 intervention centre, phase 1 was procured as an emergency intervention to increase the number of available beds for treatment.
“It was also to enhance the capacity of the Administration to provide the specialized care required in managing cases in the Federal Capital Territory” he said.
He however explained that the centre will be returned to the conventional general hospital after the COVID-19 cases are over.
Kawu listed the scope of works for the COVID-19 emergency centre at Karu to include physiotherapy unit, sample collection tent, mortuary building, behavioural medicine unit and public toilet building.
