A special hospital is going to be constructed at Chitwan Exhibition Centre in Bharatpur Metropolitan City-10 for treating COVID-19 cases.

A meeting of stakeholders held at the initiation of the metropolitan city decided to establish 70-bed hospital for the treatment of coronavirus patients. The hospital would be constructed within 72 hours in case of an outbreak of COVID-19, metropolitan city sources said.

The meeting has also formed a 15-member taskforce with Mayor Renu Dahal as its coordinator. The taskforce will adopt and formulate the policy for immediate preventive measures to stop the possible outbreak of coronavirus.

The taskforce comprises CDO Narayan Prasad Bhattarai, Nepal Medical Association central vice chair Dr Anil Bikram Karki, a representative from district coordinate committee, representatives from major hospitals, industry associations, Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) among other local stakeholders.

Senior physician Dr Bhojraj Adhikari is the member secretary at the taskforce. The meeting of the taskforce today itself decided that the hospital will have a 10-bed intensive care unit, a 10-bed high dependent unit and a 50-bed normal unit.

According to member secretary Adhikari, different responsibilities were given to different persons to start the construction work soon. The mayor Renu Dahal has urged for support in the initiations taken by the metropolitan city to prevent COVID-19 outbreak.