Bhubaneswar, March 26: The Odisha government on Thursday signed a tripartite agreement with Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM Hospital, faculty of medicine of SOA Deemed to be University here, to set up a 500-bed Corona -19 Hospital here to cope with the developing situation.

The Hospital, which will become functional within a fortnight, will exclusively treat Covid-19 patients, SOA University sources said.

The agreement was signed by the Secretary to the Government in the Health department, N K Dhal, the representative of Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL) S S Panda and the Medical Superintendent of IMS and SUM Hospital, Dr. Pushparaj Samantasinghar.

 While MCL will fund the new facility, IMS and SUM Hospital will provide patient care, critical care, doctors, nurses, paramedical staff, laboratory, radiological, ICU and other support.

 SOA Vice-Chancellor and eminent neuro-surgeon Prof. Ashok Kumar Mahapatra welcomed the government move to set up two such Hospitals saying ‘it is a world war we are now fighting together’.

The new facility will help treat Covid-19 patients and keep them in isolation, Prof. Mahapatra said.

The idea of having separate hospitals instead of treating these patients in general hospitals would minimise the possibility of transmission to others, he said.