As is known, the JITO Hyderabad Chapter has turned Hotel Manasarovar The Fern at Chiraan Fort Club in Begumpet, Hyderabad, into a Covid care centre, the JITO Covid Care Center (JITO-CCC), to offer isolation services and treatment for asymptomatic & mildly symptomatic Covid-19 patients.
The JITO-CCC was formally inaugurated today by T Harish Rao, Telangana Minister for Finance, accompanied by MP K Prabhakar Reddy and MLA Kanthi Kumar.
Addressing the gathering, Rao said that the Jain community was always at the forefront in taking up such humanitarian projects, and in providing care at the most affordable cost. He also told the doctors at JITO?CCC to handle the Covid patients who would seek treatment there with patience and humanity, saying that compassion was missing in many hospitals currently.
Ashok Kothari, a JITO advisor who worked tirelessly behind this project, said that the CCC would have three doctors and nurses stationed 24x7 in the premises itself.
"The idea behind this care centre is to provide affordable care. We are willing to admit the deserving poor even for free on a case to case basis," he added.
Speaking later, Motilal Bhalgat, Chairman of the Mahavir Hospital & Research Centre, appealed to Harish Rao to give Mahavir Hospital a freehold on the land that it was located on.
"The hospital is located on land given on a long lease. The first 30 years' lease expired in 2007, and the next 30 years' lease will end in 2037. But given the yeoman services offered by us to the poor, I urge the government of Telangana to give us a freehold on the land, so that we may construct a new building and expand the current 220 beds to 400. We can raise money to make a huge structure with 1,50,000 sq feet of constructed area, and are willing to invest at least Rs 25 crore on such an expansion," he said.
Responding to the request, Rao gave Bhalgat an assurance that he would organise a meeting for them with the Chief Minister to pursue the matter.
JITO is a global body which claims to work with a service motto, and to have inaugurated 15 such corona care centres across the country. This one in Hyderabad is the 16th. JITO plans to set up more such centres across the country.