With a ”sharp decline” in coronavirus positive cases, the Pune Zilla Parishad (ZP) has decided to permanently shut the Wipro Hospital, which was set up for COVID-19 treatment, in Hinjewadi area, an official said.
”In a meeting with the senior management of Wipro, it was decided to permanently shut the hospital at Hinjewadi. The decision was taken since the COVID-19 cases have declined sharply in the district,” said ZP CEO Ayush Prasad.
The building will be returned for IT development and 71 types of equipment installed in the hospital would be given to district hospital, women’s hospital, sub-district hospitals, rural hospitals, primary health care centres and sub centres across rural areas of the district, as per requirements, he said.
”With cases having fallen in Pune rapidly, and beds lying empty in all licensed government and private hospitals, the Wipro hospital was placed under suspended animation from 31 December 2021. The administration had followed a wait-and-watch approach,” he said.
The shutting of the hospital represents the success of the vaccination programme and the district administration’s ability to build up requisite infrastructure facilities in existing hospitals, he said.
On the suggestion of the state government, Wipro, an IT major, had converted one of its buildings in Hinjewadi, into a COVID-19 hospital in May-June 2020. During the pandemic, the 450-bed hospital had 6,865 admissions, of which 6,414 people were discharged after the treatment and 11 deaths were recorded.
