Air Force-built patient isolation ward for IDH nears completion

A 16-room patient isolation ward being built by Air Force personnel at IDH is nearing completion and is expected to be handed over to health authorities today.

The new ward that has been under construction since 18 March is almost complete and likely to be handed over today, Air Force sources told the Daily FT. A team of Air Force (SLAF) personnel are working around the clock to build a 16-room patient isolation ward at the IDH on a request made by Director of Health Services Dr. Anil Jayasinghe since 18 March. The facility is seen as an urgent requirement to mitigate the spread of the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak. Close to 220 SLAF personnel, including nine officers, are working in shifts, 24 hours a day, to build the facility at the IDH premises, which is seen as a top priority. The facility is being built to international standards, with each isolation room compartmentalised to ensure maximum safety for the medical staff and patients.