Air Force scrambles to build patient isolation ward at IDH

Wednesday, 25 March 2020 13:52 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

A team of Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) personnel are working around the clock to build a 16-room patient isolation ward at the National Institute of Infectious Diseases (IDH) on a request made by Director Heath Services Dr. Anil Jasinghe.

Close to 220 SLAF personnel including nine officers are working in shifts, 24 hours a day to build the facility at the IDH premises, seen as a top priority as the number of COVID-19 patients grows daily, the Air Force said. The SLAF Directorate of Civil Engineering has been tasked by the Commander of the Air Force Air Marshal Sumangala Dias to construct the 16-room isolation ward for the IDH in the shortest possible time.

The Air Force is using a modified design which used two prefabricated structures and ready mix concrete to build the facility. Air Marshal Dias had inspected the construction recently.

"We are working around the clock, our teams work in shifts, at times as many as 190 during the day shift, with around 60 working the nights," explained Senior Staff Officer, Civil Engineering, Air Commodore Udula Wijesinghe who is managing the work on site as the Project officer.

Work on the facility had begun on 18 March with a plan to complete construction in 14 days, however Wijesinghe is confident that with the Airmen working around the clock the ward can be completed ahead of time.

"We have the fullest support from the Air Force and other stakeholders and our men know the importance of the project and the urgency at hand," he said.