• The organization is already preparing one of its centers in Anantapur for facilitating institutional deliveries.
• RDT Mycobacteriology laboratory has been functioning as a COVID-19 testing center since April 12th.

©Bathalapalli Emergency unit team. ©Ketty Arce/RDT

Rural Development Trust (RDT)’s Bathalapalli Hospital is one of the first centers in the district of Anantapur to be designated as a COVID-19 Hospital by the District Collector, Sri Gandham Chandrudu. For this purpose, RDT will make all its medical resources, amenities, facilities as well as staff available to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

After the announcement, all services in Bathalapalli have been suspended and all the buildings of the hospital complex will be used only for COVID-19 patients, except for the Care and Support Center.  The organization is currently preparing one of its centers in the Anantapur area for facilitating institutional deliveries and other obstetrics services.

This Government notice came after the announcement on Sunday that the RDT Mycobacteriology Laboratory, used until then for testing drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB), would start functioning as a COVID-19 testing center. The Andhra Pradesh Government has provided the required materials as well as training for staff.

Kalyandurg medical staff attending preventive measures training. © Aslam Basha/RDT.

Doctors and nurses are being trained and new materials are being acquired (N95 Masks, surgical gowns, coveralls, face shields). Some personal protection equipment (PPE) for emergency purposes is being prepared with the materials available.

All non-essential services in Kalyandurg and Kanekal Hospitals remain postponed due to the national lockdown, as per the government orders. These centers have also established triage points in the Hospitals’ surrounding areas to inform the population of the new measures taken. Anyone with symptoms is at the moment asked to isolate himself/herself and to call the Government help lines. Any person arriving at the Hospital with a fever is considered as positive for COVID-19, until proven otherwise.

Text: Aina Valldaura, adapted by Vicente Ferrer Foundation USA