Construction of new hospitals in Wuhan remarkable: World Health Organization

GENEVA: The World Health Organization (WHO) lauded China for the quick construction of two new hospitals in Wuhan for patients diagnosed with the novel coronavirus, saying it was a remarkable effort.

The Huoshenshan, a makeshift hospital with 1,000 beds dedicated to treating patients infected with the coronavirus, was completed in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, in a record 10 days, reports Xinhua news agency.

A second one, with 1,600 beds, is currently under construction.

The construction in such a short time represents a remarkable effort, not only in terms of public health, but also in logistics, planning and architecture, and certainly the ability to bring moderate and severe patients to a site where they can be treated properly, which would also protect their communities from possible infection, Michael Ryan, Executive Director of WHO Health Emergencies Program, said here on Wednesday.

“This is a major undertaking.” Ryan said. Health and medical personnel from other parts of China will come to the newly-built medical facilities in Wuhan which shows the remarkable solidarity within China and the determination of the Chinese health authorities, he said.

“They are continuing to do everything humanely possible to put the health of their own population above any other consideration, and in doing that offer an opportunity for the rest of the world to prepare (for the virus),” he said.

Ryan also lauded the lab technicians and other frontline workers who have been under a huge workload to treat the patient.

He added a WHO-coordinated team of global experts, covering clinical management, virology, vaccine, drug development, ecological investigation, animal health, epidemiology, public health and risk communication, will soon visit China.

“The team’s objective is to learn from Chinese counterparts’ experience in dealing with this event so that the world can learn from them,” he added.

As of Thursday, the death toll in China rose to 563, with 28,018 confirmed cases.

On Tuesday, Hong Kong became the third country to report a coronavirus death after China and the Philippines. (IANS)

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