By Matters India Reporter

Bengaluru, Aug 19, 2020: As the number of coronavirus cases spike in the country, St. John’s Medical College, has now a special unit for treating Covid-19 patients.

Archbishop Peter Machado of Bangalore on August 17 blessed and inaugurated the newly constructed and fully-equipped center that functions under St. John’s National Academy of Health Sciences

The new center has 48 isolation beds, a 24-bed ITU and a 24-bed ICU.

St. John’s Hospital has taken a leading step to provide healthcare to people during these crucial times, said Archbishop Machado.

St. John’s Hospital COVID Care Centre is first of its kind in Bengaluru, capital of the southern Indian state of Karnataka.

The Covid Care Center is situated away from the main hospital for the sake of safety measures.

From the time of Covid-19 cases began to rise in the city, the medical college had set up a Covid emergency unit with 700 beds, including 38 ICU beds for the severely ill.

According to the hospital sources, by the end of July, just five months since the first case reported in Bengaluru, St. John’s Hospital has screened more than 5,000 patients in the fever clinic, provided crisis care to more than 2,000 patients in the Emergency Department, treated more than 600 patients in the wards and taken care of more than 500 critically ill patients in the ICUs.

“Serving the undeserved – has been the foremost objective of St. John’s,” said Father Paul Parathazham, director of the St. John’s National Academy of Health Sciences.

“Covid-19 patients are stigmatized, ostracized and even physically attacked. In keeping with our calling to serve the underprivileged, St. John’s has risen to the challenge of providing affordable health care to the patients,” the priest said.

St. John’s has provided free treatment amounting to 50 million rupees since March.

Doctor George D’Souza, dean of St. John’s Medical College, commended the efforts and services rendered by doctors, the nurses, nursing aides and all other staff from ancillary departments.

“With their courage and commitment, the institute was able to come up with the new center,” he added.

Many people, individuals, companies, foundations and organizations came to support the new COVID-19 Care Center, informed, Dr. Bobby Joseph, Vice Dean–Community Outreach.

The Azim Premji Philanthropic Initiatives has supported the establishment of the ICU and Titan Company Limited has funded the 48-bed Isolation Ward, Dr Joseph said.

St. John’s Medical College is a private religious minority medical college and hospital established in 1963. It is part of the St. John’s National Academy of Health Sciences run by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India. It was established in

Consecutively ranked 4th Best Medical College in India since 2014 The Outlook India Magazine has ranked St. John’s Medical College, Bengaluru as the 4th Best Medical College for 2017, amongst the top 25 Medical Colleges in India, for the 4th year in succession.