English Section

Polish army to set up field hospital in Warsaw

24.10.2020 20:00
A temporary field hospital to treat patients infected with the new coronavirus will be opened in the capital Warsaw as surging coronavirus cases put pressure on hospitals across Poland, according to the Polish News Agency PAP.
Polish medical staff working at the COVID emergency department of the Central Clinical Hospital in Warsaw, 24 October.
Polish medical staff working at the COVID emergency department of the Central Clinical Hospital in Warsaw, 24 October.Photo: PAP/Leszek Szymański

The Military Institute of Medicine will be responsible for setting up the hospital's infrastructure at Warsaw's EXPO XXI centre, the Defence Ministry announced on Saturday.

The Polish army will also provide the personnel required to support the functioning of the facility.

According to the ministry, the hospital will have opened by November 16, with a capacity of 300 beds.

It is designed as a modular facility, while its capacity is planned to be improved in the future by another 300 beds. The number could be increased to over 1,000 if the situation worsens, the ministry said.

The announcement comes a few days after reports emerged that Poland was setting up its first field hospital to treat coronavirus patients at the National Stadium in Warsaw.

Poland has seen record numbers of new coronavirus cases in recent days with overburdened hospitals struggling to handle the surge.

(ał)

Source: PAP