PU non-teaching staff write to VC seeking to set up temporary COVID wards on campus citing bed shortage in Pondy

Pondicherry University's non-teaching staff have requested the administration to provide theatre and lecture halls at the varsity to turn them into COVID wards for patients in the union territory as well as for people working at the university. The PU non-teaching staff welfare association wrote a letter to the Vice-Chancellor late Friday night asking for these facilities to be set up as there is an acute shortage of hospital beds in Puducherry owing to a rise in the number of cases.

The welfare association wrote that theatre halls and lecture halls which are available in the Department of Performing Arts and Lecture hall complex (Science block) respectively could be converted to COVID inpatient wards as a temporary measure by the government of Puducherry. They also stated that if this is done, it will not affect PU's mainstream university system as "they are located sufficiently away from the critical usage area."

In their letter, the non-teaching staff requested the varsity administration to consider this soon and also allow the treatment of employees at the varsity and their COVID-affected families as some have been facing an acute crisis due to lack of beds in government hospitals across Puducherry.

K Kaliaperumal, President, PU Non-Teaching Staff Welfare Association told us that at least five university staff have expired after contracting COVID-19. "Many are quarantined within the campus. The Vice-Chancellor himself is affected by COVID. After we sent the letter, he told us he is still undergoing treatment at JIPMER along with his wife since April 24 and once they recover, he will come back and talk about these issues. We are also planning to write to the Puducherry UT government seeking permission to turn these halls into temporary COVID-care centres. There is a shortage of beds everywhere and this could act as a temporary arrangement thus helping a lot of people in need," he added.